Nightclub worker blasted in gut and knee in brazen Queens shooting

A gunman wildly opened fire, aiming into a Queens nightclub Saturday morning and wounding a worker, right next door to an FDNY firehouse, cops said.
The 39-year-old victim was working at the Lotus Lounge & Grill, on Myrtle Ave. near 66th Pl., when several revelers got into an argument. Soon after the dispute erupted, a gunman stepped out of a Range Rover parked on the street and blasted several rounds into the club’s front door and window around 4:20 a.m., police said. The worker was struck two times in the abdomen and once in the left knee.
Following the gunfire, firefighters from the FDNY firehouse next door rushed to the club, where they found the wounded lounge worker and notified EMS, according to an FDNY spokesperson. Smoke eaters from the neighboring Engine Company 286, dubbed the “Myrtle Turtles,” aided the wounded man until EMTs arrived.
Medics rushed the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was expected to survive, cops said.
It was not immediately clear if the victim had been a part of the dispute that sparked the violence, cops said.
However, according to firefighters at the firehouse, who requested anonymity, the shooter allegedly got into an altercation with a woman and was subsequently kicked out of the club by a doorman. After being bounced, the man then returned to the scene later with a gun and shot the doorman — up to 15 gunshots reportedly were heard — striking a nearby pickup truck, as well. The incident prompted three firefighters from the firehouse to respond to the scene.
The lounge basically operates as a venue for private parties and not a public bar, opening only once per week at midnight, firefighters and a nearby liquor store worker said.
The Lotus Lounge & Grill did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the shooting. On Saturday morning the nightlife spot’s Instagram story included a post that said, “Sorry we are closed today.”
A “Neon Friday” event with an 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. happy hour, beer pong and hookah was scheduled for Friday night, according to the club’s Instagram page.
On its site, the club describes the space as “the ultimate destination for an unforgettable night in New York City,” offering live music, a dance floor, hookah, food and drinks.
No arrests have been made. The investigation remained underway Saturday afternoon.