A Halloween prank turned into a bloody shooting in The Bronx last night when a man was gunned down after he chased a group of kids who had thrown eggs at his car, cops said.
The man – whose identity was not released by police last night – was in critical condition at Lincoln Hospital after he was shot three times in the lobby of 2595 Third Ave., in The Bronx, about 9.30 p.m.
Cops said he was driving his mini-van with a female passenger when a group of kids pelted the vehicle with eggs in front of the Third Avenue apartment building.
He chased the kids into the lobby and was shot three times. His female companion was not shot, but cut her leg in the incident, cops said.
“It’s the kids that are killing people these days,” said the victim’s distraught brother, who had come to the scene to retrieve the mini-van.
He told The Post his brother was on his way to pick up their mom and bring her to their family’s Halloween party.
Jonathan Montes, 21, who lives on the second floor of the apartment building, said he was watching television when he heard the shots and ran downstairs from his second floor apartment.
“We saw the guy leaning against the door bleeding to death,” Montes said. “We didn’t want to touch him because we thought he might have AIDS, or something like that.”
He said after ten minutes the victim fell on the floor and there was a lot of blood pouring out of his stomach.
Police last night were searching for the egg-throwers and shooters – but a resident told The Post the gang of kids was well-known for terrorizing the building.
“They live here, always hanging out on the stoop a lot,” said an elderly resident, who asked not to be named. “[They are] upstairs smoking their reefer, all day – I try to mind my own business.”