New York- According to authorities, a man was shot and killed on Thursday just a few blocks from Times Square, the popular tourist destination in New York City that was declared a gun-free zone last year.
The man was found with a gunshot wound to his chest near West 44 Street and 8th Avenue, a short distance from Times Square when police said they arrived in response to an emergency call at around 5:30 pm (2230 GMT).
The 22-year-old man, who was not identified, later died at Mount Sinai West hospital, the New York Police Department said in a statement. No arrests were made as of 9:30 pm, the police added.
According to local media, the gunfire outside a fast-food restaurant, close to Times Square’s lit electronic billboards and crowds of tourists, scared bystanders to flee.
“There was a stampede of people trying to get away,” witness Will Colon told the New York Daily News.
Man shot and killed in Times Square in drug-related shooting: sources https://t.co/GY8V9cxaZG pic.twitter.com/aJp6eiJZqO
— New York Post (@nypost) February 10, 2023
Colon added, “A couple of young dudes shot him.” “His dead body was left on the street. Face up; he was trembling.”
He said, “I didn’t think he would survive.”
Unnamed sources told the Daily News that two gunmen fled on foot down Eighth Avenue.
Since September, the state legislature of New York has outlawed the possession of weapons in sensitive venues, including bars, libraries, schools, public buildings, hospitals, and vulnerable, high-traffic areas, including the always-busy Times Square.
Gun rights activists have successfully challenged the limitations in court several times.
Last year, “Times Square: Gun Free Zone” signs were launched for placement in and around Manhattan’s bustling Times Square by New York City’s Democratic mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer.
The number of gun-related homicides in New York City, which had increased in 2020 and 2021, fell to 433 in 2022 despite the city’s 8.5 million residents and 50 million annual visitors.