A man shot in the chest on the Lower East Side drove himself to the hospital and is now in critical condition, police sources said.
A source familiar to the investigation shared that a man was shot in the chest on Madison and Montgomery Streets sometime before 1:30 p.m. on March 30, but managed to seek out assistance near NYU Langone Hospital in Kips Bay, about three miles away.
According to an eyewitness who didn’t want to be identified, the victim was seen driving a vehicle with a blown out rear window near the FDR Drive heading toward 34th Street and 1st Avenue, where he flagged down an ambulance pleading for help showcasing his wound.
“A guy was turning down First Avenue, and his back windshield was shattered, and he opened the door and basically said ‘I’ve been shot and walked right up to the ambulance’ and then they started to treat him,” the witness said, adding, “I thought he was going down second, you know I thought he just made a wrong turn but then I saw the back windshield was shattered.”
The man was transported a few blocks down to Bellevue Hospital on 28th Street and First Avenue for trauma. He’s listed in critical condition.
Officers from the 17th Precinct cordoned off the area, leaving the victim’s vehicle parked within a bus lane outside of NYU Langone Hospital.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.