Chaos erupted in busy Times Square Thursday evening when a suspected undocumented migrant opened fire after a shoplifting confrontation, wounding a tourist and shooting at a pursuing police officer before escaping into the subway system.
The dramatic incident began around 7 PM when a group of individuals drew suspicion attempting to conceal store merchandise.
A security guard intervened, retrieving the goods until the shooter opened fire. The bullet missed the employee but struck a 37-year-old female tourist from Brazil in the leg.
NYPD officials describe the still unidentified suspect as a male possibly between 15-20 years old, dressed fully in white. After fleeing the initial shooting scene, officers spotted and apprehended one of his companions four blocks away. But the gunman, believed to be an illegal immigrant from Columbia, evaded custody.
When one officer cornered the suspect on a side street off 47th, the individual fired at nearly point-blank range before resuming his escape. Miraculously the policeman was unhurt, even though he couldn’t return fire because of nearby civilians.
In Chief of Patrol John Chell’s words: “Our officer draws his weapon. He cannot fire. Too many people around, there’s too many people ducking.”
After another shot aimed behind him, the gunman disappeared into a train station.
His discarded jacket was found nearby. But police have yet e to apprehend the suspect as of Friday despite an intensifying manhunt.
Chell noted the suspect’s accomplises are part of the illegal immigration population temporarily housed in area hotels by New York City.
Chell affirmed the brazenness of Thursday’s violence was an extremely rare event in the world-renowned Times Square, saying: “We are looking for one male. He is the shooter. He shot at our cops not once but twice, and also shot an innocent female one time in the leg.”
The Horn editorial team