Manhattan murder detectives are busy looking for the killers who gunned down two people in East Village and Alphabet City in separate incidents on Thursday.
A 25-year-old woman was gunned own near Union Square, at the corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place, in the East Village at about 5:01 a.m. on Sept. 1.
Not even 12 hours later, police in Alphabet City found a 26-year-old man fatally shot off the corner of Szold Place and East 12th Street at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday.
Early in the investigation, it does not appear both shootings are connected, sources familiar with the case told amNewYork Metro.
Regarding the Union Square shooting, officers from the 13th Precinct, in responding to a 911 call about the incident, found the female victim unconscious and unresponsive with a bullet wound to her head.
EMS units arrived on the scene and pronounced the woman dead. Her identity has been withheld, pending family notification.
At a press conference in Queens later on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams said he had been briefed about the shooting, and that it appears the victim was deliberately targeted by her killer.
“The investigation is still new. We don’t have much more than that at this time,” the mayor said. “But again, it really highlights what the governor and I talked about yesterday, and what we’ll continue to talk about: The overproliferation of guns on our streets, and people using them for violent means.”
Adams was referring to the slate of new concealed carry gun rules that took effect on Thursday, including a regulation that officially designated Times Square as a “gun-free zone” in which New Yorkers are forbidden from carrying firearms.
The crime scene remained active as of 8 a.m. Thursday morning, with the victim’s body still at the scene — her blood soaking the white sheet covering it while detectives conversed nearby.
An hour later, members of the city’s Medical Examiner’s office retrieved the body.
At this hour, police have not yet ascertained a possible motive for the shooting. The NYPD did, however, provide a description of the suspect: a heavyset Black man wearing a mask and all black clothing.
Police sources said the perpetrator fled on foot in an unknown direction.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation.
As for the Alphabet City shooting, officers from the 9th Precinct found the 26-year-old male victim at about 1:41 p.m. on Sept. 1.
EMS rushed the victim to Bellevue Hospital, where he died a short time later. Police have withheld his identity, pending family notification.
Sources familiar with the investigation said detectives were looking for the shooter, who was described as a Hispanic man in his 30s wearing all black clothing and a face mask.
Anyone with information regarding either homicide 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.
This story was updated on Sept. 1 at 4 p.m.
