Two women and a four-year-old girl were injured Saturday afternoon in Times Square New York, from shootings, amid an increase in crime recorded in the American metropolis.
The shootings took place at noon shortly before 17:00 local time (midnight Greek time), at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 44th Street, said the police who cordoned off the area for several hours.
The three victims are a four-year-old girl in a stroller who was shot in the leg while shopping with her family for toys, a 46-year-old woman who was also injured in the leg and a 23-year-old tourist from Rhode Island. All three of them are being treated in a Manhattan hospital without risking their livesNew York Police Chief Dermot Sea told a news conference at the scene.
According to initial information provided by Sea, the three victims – who allegedly had no relationship – were accidentally found in the middle of a dispute between “two to four men”. At least one of them pulled out a gun and fired.
No arrests were made until early in the evening. Police asked for help from witnesses and released a video of a closed circuit showing a man wanted.
The police chief condemned the inadequate legislation to combat the growing number of firearms circulating illegally in the largest US metropolis and the inadequate measures against recidivist criminals.
“How many children need to be injured before we realize that bad policies have harmful consequences?” he said, recalling that two people suspected of a shooting incident that killed a baby in July 2020 in Brooklyn had just been arrested.
“Fortunately, the health of these innocent passers-by is in stable condition,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The perpetrators of this violent incident are wanted and the police will bring them to justice. “The influx of illegal weapons arriving in New York must stop.”
Increase in incidents with shootings
Times Square, one of New York City’s pre-pandemic tourist attractions, has changed since theaters were forced to close in March 2020.
According to a recent report by the Times Square Alliance, a trade union, the region recorded 25 violent crimes in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 17 in the same period of 2020.
In late March, a savage attack, recorded on video, against a 60-year-old Asian woman in the area was shocking. A man with a serious criminal record, who lived in a hotel near Times Square, which is homeless, has been arrested and charged.
The violence comes as the city plans to lift most of the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic on May 19 and launch a tourism revitalization campaign in June. The theaters that are the main attraction of the area are expected to reopen on September 14.
According to the latest official statistics, New York recorded 149 shooting incidents in April, compared to 56 in April 2020 (an increase of 166%). Crime generally increased by 30% over the same period.
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