Man Fatally Shot in Midtown Manhattan Subway Station
A dispute in a busy subway station resulted in a fatal shooting, with authorities seeking the public's assistance in locating the suspect.
A 34-year-old man was fatally shot in the chest on Saturday afternoon following an apparent dispute inside the 7th Avenue subway station at 53rd street in Midtown Manhattan. The New York City Police Department reported that gunfire erupted around 12:20 p.m.
According to an NYPD spokesperson, the suspect "displayed a firearm and discharged it, striking the victim once in the chest." The individual then fled the scene on foot, heading northbound on 7th Avenue. First responders administered CPR to the victim on the subway platform after he suffered cardiac arrest. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. The identity of the deceased is pending confirmation.
The sought individual is described as a male, last seen wearing a red tracksuit, a black vest, and a black face mask, and carrying a backpack. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has coordinated with the NYPD to retrieve surveillance video from the platform and train cars to aid in the search for the suspect.
"Guns have no place in transit which is why we’ve strongly supported New York State's legal fight to make sure it's illegal to carry them in the subway system," stated Michael Kemp, Chief Security Officer for the MTA. "This was evidently a dispute between two individuals that ended tragically."
Mauricio Marroquin, a Queens resident, told the New York Post that he witnessed people running from the subway station as he was leaving work. He described seeing a man lying on the ground, dressed in a blazer, appearing to be on his way to or from work. Marroquin recounted that the shooting occurred quickly, with two shots fired about eight seconds apart.
An emergency notification from the NYC Emergency Management advised of road closures, traffic delays, and mass transit disruptions in the area of 7th Avenue and West 53rd Street due to police activity. Commuters were advised to use alternate routes and allow for additional travel time.
This incident occurs as recent NYPD statistics indicate a slight increase in major crimes across the city's transit system. For the year so far, major crimes are up 0.9%, with an increase of 3% in the third quarter compared to the previous year. Police officials attributed these increases primarily to felony assaults and nonviolent grand larcenies.
The NYPD is urging anyone with information regarding this shooting incident to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online through their website.