New York Shooting
During the busy evening rush hour on Thursday, a 22-year-old male was fatally shot near a Shake Shack in Midtown Manhattan. The police are currently searching for two gunmen. The incident occurred around West 44th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Times Square area, according to the police, who responded to a 911 call. Upon arriving, they found the victim with a gunshot wound to his chest and took him to Mount Sinai West, where he later passed away. The Shake Shack location near the scene was closed, and the police had blocked off the sidewalk. One shell casing was visible on 44th Street, and pedestrians were being redirected along Eighth Avenue. A bouncer at a nearby bar reported hearing a single gunshot and seeing people running before the police arrived.
On Thursday night, the police were looking for the individuals responsible for the shooting, and the victim had not yet been identified. The incident occurred in a highly-trafficked section of the city near Broadway theaters, hotels, the Times Square subway station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The area has struggled economically due to the pandemic, as tourists and office workers stayed away, and concerns about crime have impacted its recovery. Despite a decrease in shootings and murders last year, major crime increased by 22 percent.
Despite the challenges, the city saw a significant increase in visitors, with 56 million people visiting in 2022, according to NYC & Company. This brought New York’s tourism back to 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and the agency anticipates the number to rise further this year.
As they were walking to dinner on their first night in Manhattan, two tourists from Scotland, Isla Cleland and Marcus Lavery, were taken aback upon hearing about the shooting.
You can check out the New York times story on this. You can also check out
