A teen was shot multiple times on the Upper West Side Tuesday morning, police said.
Police sources told amNewYork Metro that one suspect was taken into custody and a gun had been recovered.
According to authorities, a 17-year-old boy was shot several times in the abdomen at around 9:49 a.m. on March 14 near an apartment building on 170 Amsterdam Ave. Police later confirmed that the victim had been in a dispute with a few other teenagers prior to the shooting.
Police say that the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at the victim, who after he was hit multiple times ran two blocks to his high school. Sources familiar with the investigation said that local firefighters helped transfer the boy to EMS, who rushed him to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where is he listed in stable condition.
The alleged shooter hailed a yellow cab and was quickly apprehended by officers just one block away from the shooting. Though his name hasn’t been released at this time, the NYPD confirmed that the apprehended suspect is a 19-year-old man with three prior arrests: two for narcotics sales in 2023, and one for armed robbery in 2021, which he is currently out on bail for.
“Without the community’s assistance here this morning, this would have been a harder case to solve,” said Chief of Patrol John Chell in a press conference, citing the public’s quick calls to 911 and providing descriptions of the shooter as reasons why the arrest occurred so quickly. “This is truly New York City working together with our police department to take a shooter off the streets.”
While details as to what sparked the shooting are not clear, at least four shell casings were discovered strewn across the sidewalk and roadway.
Saroeun You, a U-Haul driver was in shock over the incident after learning about it from a co-worker. You was working as a mover at the time and found a shell casing beside his van.
“It’s crazy. It’s not safe,” You said, “This is crazy seeing it live because usually you see this on TV but seeing it in person and the blue police tape. It’s scary.”
Mayor Eric Adams was spotted at the scene and was briefed by officers at the location shortly after the shooting.
Additional reporting by Emily Davenport. Updated at 3:47 p.m.
