New York City Police Dept. officials picked up two men for questioning on July 2 in connection with the prior day's shooting of a 56-year­-old union foreman at Manhattan's Hells Kitchen jobsite. Neither suspect—Anthony Manco nor Robert Sasso—had been charged by late afternoon Tuesday, says an NYPD spokewoman.

Police began searching yesterday morning for the shooter, who fled the crime scene at West. 49th St. and Ninth Ave., where a joint venture of Judlau Contracting and its parent firm OHL USA are doing trunk and water main work for the Manhattan leg of the Water Tunnel No. 3 project.

The victim, Louis Lamburini, had been sitting in a Judlau van when "somebody walked up and shot him" in the shoulder, says Frank Cara, executive vice president and general counsel of Judlau, where Lamburini is employed. Lamburini was listed in "fair" condition yesterday at Bellevue Hospital Center.

Lamburini is a maintenance foreman for Local 14 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. He has been working at Judlau for eight months, Cara says. He adds that Lamburini's wounds are superficial.

Media reports say the suspect is believed to be an ex­employee of Judlau. Cara says he does not know who the suspect is.

The jv, named Waterworks, is the general contractor for the $242-million trunk and water main project, which Dept. of Design and Construction is managing for the Dept. of Environmental Protection.