A gunman unleashed chaos in New York City, causing panic in a location renowned as a global tourist hotspot.
Residents and visitors of New York City experienced a harrowing episode as gunfire erupted in a central area of the city.
Footage of the incident quickly spread across social media, igniting discussions about gun violence and the potential motives behind the attack.
The shooting took place close to the intersection of 44th Street and 7th Avenue. The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that the shots were fired following a dispute between two individuals.
Video clips display tourists frantically fleeing from the vicinity of the Hard Rock Cafe on 7th Avenue, and subsequent reports confirmed that individuals had been injured by the gunfire.
Responding to the video on Twitter, one user remarked: “Three people have been shot in the heart of Times Square. Bodies are on the ground, bullet holes pierce car windows. The chaos unfolded near a major tourist area. One suspect is in custody.”
The eyewitness recounted being ‘literally 2 cars in front of the car that got shot up’, adding that “That SUV that was shot up had a 3-year-old kid in it.”
Just days before the incident, NYC had declared Times Square a ‘gun-free zone’, with signs prominently displayed to remind everyone to leave firearms out of the area.
A video shared online depicted police officers swiftly arriving at the scene, arresting the suspect, and confiscating a weapon.
A police representative informed The Independent: “He has been taken into custody and a firearm was also recovered. He has not been charged yet.”
This incident followed an announcement from New York’s police commissioner stating that the city had recorded the lowest number of shooting incidents and victims this year, with 412 shooting incidents and 489 shooting victims reported over the past seven months.
Online footage showed one individual on a stretcher being transported to an ambulance, while police officers directed people away from the scene.
Authorities informed the media that they were interrogating a person held in custody, though no formal charges have been filed yet.
The NYPD indicated that the gunfire erupted following a verbal altercation between the shooter and one of the victims.
The statement mentioned, “The perpetrator was engaged in a verbal dispute prior to the shooting with one of the victims.”
The shooting transpired at approximately 1:20 am, as confirmed by an NYPD spokesperson.
As a consequence of the shooting, three individuals were injured.
The victims included an 18-year-old woman and two men aged 19 and 65.
The police detailed that a bullet grazed the woman’s neck, while both men sustained injuries to their legs.
The 19-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to his right foot, and the older man was hit in the left leg, the spokesperson relayed to the outlet.
“All were taken to Bellevue hospital and are in stable condition,” the police added.