NEW YORK — A mother struggles to survive in a Manhattan hospital as the neighbor who shot her during a heated argument in the hallway continues to evade police.
The gunman was still on the run from police Friday, two days after he allegedly shot his 41-year-old neighbor who police say tried to break up a fight on the sixth floor of their East Harlem building.
Neighbors and friends have been in shock since the 8 am shooting at the Lincoln Houses on East 135th Street sent the mother to the hospital in critical condition. Investigators say she was shot in the head, stomach and thigh.
Nicole Williams says she has been friends with the victim for years and ran into the building after hearing the news.
“My son lives here. They called me and told me that a neighbor who just moved here shot him in the head,” Williams said.
Police say the victim was out in the hallway Wednesday morning when her neighbor, Avery Dunning, pulled out a firearm and shot the woman.
“I love her. She’s not a bad person, she was probably trying to do the right thing,” Williams said.
The New York Police Department released a first look at the suspected gunman Thursday night, identifying the 35-year-old man wanted in the morning gun violence.
“We’re seeing guns coming into our community in such an accessible way that instead of what people would normally do, have a discussion and go home, the gun is so accessible that it’s what’s brought out to resolve the conflict. said Lesha Sekou of Street Corner Resources, a neighborhood nonprofit that works to combat gun violence.
