NEW YORK — Three innocent bystanders — including a small child — were shot Saturday in Times Square when a man arguing with three other people pulled out a weapon and wildly fired into the late afternoon crowd, according to police.
The gunfire erupted just before at 4:55 p.m. outside of 1515 Broadway, along West 44th Street, when a dispute between four men took a violent turn as one of them pulled out a gun and began firing, striking at least 3 people, none of whom are related, the New York Post reported.
A 23-year-old woman was struck in the right thigh; a 43-year-old woman was hit in the left foot; and a 4-year-old girl was hit in the left leg, law enforcement sources said.
The child is from Brooklyn and the adults are from Rhode Island and New Jersey, sources said.
The shooter may have fled on public transit, a senior law enforcement source said.
NYPD released this image of a person of interest in connection to the Times Square shooting. (DCPI)
The victims were rushed to Bellevue Hospital and are expected to survive, the sources said.
Sakho Khadim described hearing two shots and seeing the small child with a lot of blood.
“The cops grabbed the baby and put him in the ambulance,” Khadim said. “The (woman) was crying. She said ‘I’m good.’“
She then motioned to police with a thumbs up. Khadim said.
Ciro Iova, who was at McDonald’s, said he heard three shots and saw a woman who looked to be in her late 20s on the ground.
“She was crying out for assistance,” he said.
Jesse Singh, said he was trying to deliver pizza near a Rayban store when he heard screams, but not shots, and people started running.
“I didn’t know what was going on so I started running in the opposite direction. Now I’m stuck behind barricades with these pizzas,” he said.
Robin Feld, a tourist from Los Angeles, was in disbelief, the Post reported.
“This is terrifying. I can’t believe he (the shooter) is on the loose,” she said.
The shooting, which closed the area down at the Crossroads of the World, comes as the city has started touting its grand re-opening after being shutdown because of the pandemic.
“Horrible. What is it going to take? When will our leaders admit they have made a mistake? If this doesn’t shock them to reality, what will?” the NYC PBA tweeted.
