The NYPD is investigating an unusual spike in deadly violence in the city: five killings in a 24-hour period in Queens and Brooklyn.

All of the victims were shot, the most recent just after 10 p.m. Tuesday in Coney Island.

Police said two men, 27 and 38 years old, were shot on West 19th Street. The 38-year-old was shot in the head, and the 27-year-old was shot in the stomach. They were taken to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Just before 9:30 p.m., Arsenio Gravesande was shot in the left hip on Union Street and Sutter Avenue in Brownsville. The NYPD said officers had responded to a report of a dispute on the corner. Gravesande was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

"This is sad. It's unbelievable, it broke my heart," said Brownsville resident Jaquan Acosta, a friend of Gravesande. "I'm ready to just go in the house, mind my business, and stay out of people's way."

In Queens, just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, Gregory Haskins, 25, was shot outside his home on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica. Police said they found him lying on the pavement. He had been shot in the chest and died at the hospital.

Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police found 18-year-old Angel Nixon. Investigators said he had been shot multiple times on 176th Street in Jamaica. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police did not make arrests in any of the killings as of this writing. Sources said some of the victims had criminal records.

Gravesande's friends honored him with candles near where he was killed. Acosta said the 28-year-old had two kids and worked construction.

"Everybody loved him, showed him a lot of love and respect," Acosta said.

Investigators said Gravesande had prior arrests and was affiliated with gangs.

With the five killings, the city has logged at least 196 murders so far this year, compared to 199 at this time last year. But there has been an uptick this summer, with 31 murders in July, compared to 28 last July.

And while the total number of all serious crimes is down this year, there have been 22 more shootings so far in 2019 compared to the same period last year.

The NYPD says that increase mostly reflects problems in certain neighborhoods, in the Bronx and Brooklyn, where about half of the shootings are gang-related.

"It's scary because we got to live here," Brownsville resident Diane Webb said. "When the bullets start flying, you just go under the bed, because innocent people get shot through their windows."

Anyone with information in regards to any of the incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at or on Twitter @NYPDTips.