A shooting incident occurred in Times Square on Saturday night, injuring an 18-year-old tourist and a man on the sidewalk. The gunfire stemmed from a confrontation between a teenage assailant and a Citybike rider, leading the shooter to fire into the street, according to police sources.
The 17-year-old shooter, who had been inside a restaurant on Broadway when the altercation began, chose to address the situation outside with the bike rider.
Upon stepping into the street, he fired three shots, hitting a 19-year-old in the foot, while also grazing a tourist’s neck as she passed with her family in a vehicle.
“I heard a gunshot,” said the teenage mother’s account. “My daughter was hit in the neck and started bleeding.”
The family, which includes twins aged 11, had just finished a nighttime bus tour and was parked at the time.
“It was terrifying,” the mother, who wished to remain anonymous, shared. “We thought we’d enjoy a beautiful night in Times Square.”
Her daughter was later treated at Bellevue Hospital and released, with plans to attend Morgan State University in the fall.
“They tried to put stitches in, but opted against it,” the mother explained.
The husband, who also preferred not to be named, expressed the family’s shock over the incident.
“We are traumatized,” the father, originally from Nigeria, stated. “If someone offered me a million dollars, I wouldn’t go back to Times Square.”
The 65-year-old victim was taken to the same hospital and is in stable condition.
Police apprehended the teenage shooter at the scene and found a Glock along with three .380 mm shell casings.
Rodney Booij, the manager of Carmine’s Restaurant nearby, noted a prior shooting incident a few weeks earlier.
“There’s more police presence in the subway, so you’d think it would be safer here too,” he remarked.
As of August 3rd, NYPD data indicates a decrease in shootings in the Midtown South area, which includes Times Square.
