A shooting near Times Square on Thursday has left a 22-year-old man dead.
Officers first responded to a call near the popular tourist spot on 44th Street and 8th Avenue shortly after 5:30 PM, according to People.
A New York Police Department representative told People that upon officers’ arrival, a man was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. After being unsuccessfully revived at the scene by emergency responders, he was transported to Mount Sinai West, where he was officially pronounced dead.
The shooting near Times Square case remains ongoing, and the NYPD has not made any arrests in connection with the shooting.
A bouncer for a bar near the commercial district told the New York Times on Thursday that a single gunshot was heard before people began running away from a nearby Shake Shack.
According to WNBC, the victim from the shooting near Times Square then ran a block away from the fast-casual restaurant before collapsing in front of a deli.
Two men are reportedly connected to the shooting near Times Square in what the New York Post says is a drug-related attack.
“There were two uniform policemen… in front of the turnstiles when you come out and I shouted for them to come out,” one witness told the Post.
The man said he was coming out of the subway station when he heard the gunshot.
Times Square remains one of New York City’s most crowded places.
Although foot traffic in the area decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial district reports on its website that the area sees nearly 360,000 pedestrians each day.
Times Square has pedestrian counts as high as 450,000 on its busiest days.