NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced the city would deploy 50 additional police officers in Times Square after a man was shot and wounded over the weekend.
"The bottom line is we are going to flood the zone in Times Square with officers, to make sure this situation is resolved once and for all," the mayor said during a morning briefing.
According to police Chief of Department Rodney Harrison, a man had fired several shots during a "heated argument" when the 21-year-old victim was struck in the back by one of the bullets.
"We have more and more activity out there, more and more jobs coming back, more and more tourists coming back. They have to be safe and they have to feel safe," de Blasio added.
The officers deployed to Times Square will focus on stepping up enforcement against illegal solicitations and panhandling.
There will also be plain clothes officers patrolling the area.
It was the second Times Square shooting in two months following a yearlong pandemic lockdown.
Police said Sunday’s shooting followed a dispute outside the Minskoff Theatre, where performances of “The Lion King” will start back in September after the coronavirus pandemic shut Broadway down. Published reports said the dispute may have involved street peddlers.
Hot dog vendor Salma Elkordy told the Daily News that bystanders bolted in terror after the shooting.
“I started to see people running. At first I didn’t think anything of it,” Elkordy said. “Shortly after, I saw the caution tape. They blocked off the area, and shortly after the ambulance responded. I saw a big crowd of people and I knew somebody got shot.”
So far, police have made no arrests.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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