POLICE BLOTTER

FOUR SHOT, TWO FATALLY, IN QUEENS

A man and a woman were killed and two other people were wounded in a shooting in Queens early yesterday, police said. The shooting happened at around 3 a.m. on Beach 40th Street in the Edgemere section of Queens, police said. Police identified the dead as Nicole Bostic, 23, of the Bronx, and Derrick Samuels, 23, of Queens. One surviving victim, a 20-year-old man, was brought to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition. The other survivor, a 17-year-old, was able to get to St. John’s Hospital on his own, police said. The surviving victims’ names were withheld pending notification of their families, a police spokesman, Detective Bernard Gifford, said. No suspects had been arrested.

– Associated Press

MAN DEAD AFTER CRASHING INTO FIRE TRUCK

A Brooklyn man died after crashing his car into a fire truck that was en route to an emergency yesterday, police said. Craig Mason, 20, of East 16th Street in Flatbush, was driving southbound on East 16th Street yesterday around 1:54 a.m. when he ran a red light and hit the fire truck at the intersection of East 16th Street and Cortelyou Road, fire officials said. Police said the truck was traveling with full lights and sirens. Police said Mason was cut out of his 2005 Honda by emergency responders and brought to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:28 a.m. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries at Lutheran Medical Center, fire officials said.

– Special to the Sun

MANHATTAN

RALLY FOR THE MILLIONS WHO HAVE RENOUNCED COMMUNIST MEMBERSHIP

Hundreds rallied in Chinatown yesterday to celebrate 6 million Chinese people who have renounced their membership in the Chinese Communist Party. The milestone was passed a few weeks ago, according to the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party, a nonprofit organization that tracks the number of people renouncing their membership and helps them do so. At yesterday’s rally, 30 Chinese people quit the party and another three published open statements detailing the persecution they endured under Communist rule in China. A state Assembly member from the Bronx, Michael Benjamin, and representatives from several human rights groups also spoke at the rally, which culminated with a parade through Chinatown.

– Special to the Sun

CITYWIDE

HOME HEALTH AIDE EMPLOYEES BACK TO WORK

Hundreds of home health aides were back at work yesterday after their union, Local 1199 of the SEIU, and their employer, People Care Home Health Agency, accepted an offer for the city’s comptroller to mediate negotiations for a new contract. The aides, who assist primarily elderly and infirm people in homes across the city, went on strike last week, demanding a substantial pay raise and health benefits. The company, which has said its wages are competitive with the rest of the home health care industry, said it accepted “within hours” an offer from the comptroller, William Thompson, to facilitate talks. A spokesman for the union, said mediated negotiations would begin today.

– Special to the Sun

TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS URGE CAUTION WHEN BUYING VIDEO GAMES

With the holiday season in full swing, two City Council members are urging parents to be careful when buying video games, many of which, they say, are too violent and obscene for children. Democrats Eric Gioia of Queens and Gale Brewer of Manhattan yesterday published a list of the 10 best and worst video games on the market for children. The list, compiled by the National Institute of Media and the Family, praised many games based on recent family films, such as “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Among the 10 most violent games listed were the popular “Grand Theft Auto” and “Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil.”

– Special to the Sun

DOG SHOCKED BY ELECTRIFIED STREETLAMP

A dog stepped on an electrified streetlamp in Brooklyn last night; the dog survived the shock. Con Edison says it was notified that a dog was shocked on the corner of Saint John’s Place and Seventh Avenue in Prospect Heights. The company says when crews arrived at the location they found a high level of voltage coming from the base of a streetlamp. They say the problem is now fixed and the area is safe, but people in the neighborhood say they are still concerned. Just two days ago, another dog was shocked by a manhole on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Devon Fell says she was walking her two dogs on 83rd Street between First and Second avenues Friday, when one of the dogs stepped on a manhole cover that turned out to be electrified. Ms. Fell’s dog also survived the shock. Con Edison says a defective cable is to blame for that incident.

– Special to the Sun