NEW YORK — According to the New York Police Department, three shootings were connected near Manhattan schools in a span of five hours Tuesday, prompting school closures.
The first shots rang out just before 10 a.m. on the Upper West Side, outside the high school. Martin Luther King on Amsterdam Avenue between West 67th and 68th streets. Police said a fight broke out between a group of teenagers and bullets flew soon after.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the stomach, according to police, and ran to his high school just a block away. All schools in the area, including the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, were closed.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he was said to be recovering after undergoing surgery. The alleged shooter, who did not go to high school, and the victim were former classmates at one point, according to police.
Eyewitnesses helped police find the suspected gunman, a 19-year-old with three prior arrests who nearly slipped away getting into a yellow cab. Officers found a weapon inside the vehicle at West 65th Street and West End Avenue. The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was out on bail at the time of the shooting, police said.
The shelter-in-place at the school finally went up shortly before 12:30 p.m.
Then, just before 1 p.m. in Harlem, two people were shot as students from the Harlem Renaissance School at 128th Street and Madison Avenue were out for lunch. A 16-year-old boy was hit by gunfire and is believed to have been the intended target. A 27-year-old man was also shot but is believed to have been an unwanted victim.
Both victims received blows to the legs and were rushed to Harlem Hospital, both of whom are expected to survive. Police are searching for three men dressed in dark clothing who were seen leaving the scene and may have been involved.
The third shooting happened just before 3 pm back in East Harlem. Police said shots were fired at East 105th Street and Park Avenue. No one was injured, but police later called in additional manpower from other parts of the city to prevent another shooting from taking place.
According to police sources, the three shootings were believed to be connected,
“Right now we are proceeding as if everyone is connected. Why do I say that? The proximity, the geography around the school, the age of our victims and now we can confirm an incident. This incident here is gang motivated,” he said. the New York Police Chief. Patrol John Chell. “Without the assistance of the community here this morning, this would have been a more difficult case to solve.”
The NYPD promised a heightened police presence overnight at all three crime scenes. Students attending high schools should expect to see officers when they arrive on Wednesday and when they leave in the afternoon.
Investigations into the shootings are ongoing.
Ana Ledo reports to us from the Upper West Side.
