Police in SoHo are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a teenager in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
According to police sources, the shocking daylight shooting occurred at around 2:41 p.m. on May 7 near the corner of Varick and Spring Streets.
While the exact details surrounding the incident are still being investigated, responding cops say they discovered 16-year-old Mahki Brown with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, and twice in his leg.
Sources familiar with the investigation report that the shooting began as a dispute between two groups of teen girls turned deadly when Brown — who was said to have attended a nearby school — became involved.
Moments later, police said, two teens — both of whom were apparently riding Citi Bikes — rolled up to the location, jumped off and began shooting. Police have yet to confirm if Brown was the intended target.
Officers from the 1st Precinct responded to the shooting. EMS rushed Brown to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“We heard two pops,” a nearby worker who asked not to be identified said. “We peered over from the roof and saw him bleeding from the leg and head. They were giving him CPR.”
Tuesday’s shooting was the first recorded episode of gun violence in the 1st Precinct all year, based on the most recent CompStat report through May 5. There had also been just one homicide earlier this year — the brutal killing of a woman at a SoHo hotel.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said.
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 X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
