NEW YORK — Authorities increased patrols at schools Wednesday after three shootings were reported near these institutions in Manhattan in a five-hour span the previous day. The shootings prompted an emergency closure of the schools while police investigated whether it was safe.
The first shots rang out Tuesday just before 10:00 a.m. at the Upper West Sideout of high school Martin Luther King in Amsterdam Avenue in between West 67th y 68th streets. Police said a fight broke out between a group of teenagers and bullets flew soon after.
A 17-year-old was shot in the stomach, according to police, and ran to his high school just a block away. All schools in the area, including the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, were shut down while the area was investigated.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he was said to be recovering after undergoing surgery. The alleged shooter, who is not a high school student, and the victim were former classmates at one point, according to police.
Eyewitnesses helped police find the suspected shooter, a 19-year-old with three prior arrests who nearly missed getting into a yellow cab. Officers found a weapon inside the vehicle at West 65th Street y West End Avenue. The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was out on bail at the time of the shooting, police said.
The emergency closure of schools was finally lifted shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Then, just before 1:00 p.m. in Harlem, two people were shot when students from Harlem Renaissance School in 128th Street y Madison Avenue they went out to lunch. A 16-year-old boy was hit by gunfire and is believed to have been the intended target. A 27-year-old man was also shot but is believed to have been an unwanted victim.
Both victims received blows to the legs and were rushed to Harlem Hospital, both of whom are expected to survive. Police are looking for three men dressed in dark clothing who were seen leaving the scene and may have been involved.
The third shooting occurred just before 3:00 p.m. in East Harlem. Police said shots were fired in East 105th Street y Park Avenue. No one was injured, but police later called in additional manpower from other parts of the city to prevent another shooting from taking place.
According to police sources, the three shootings were believed to be connected.
“Right now we are proceeding as if everyone is connected. Why do I say that? The proximity, the geography around the school, the age of our victims and now we can confirm an incident. This incident here is gang motivated,” he said. New York Police Chief Patrol John Chell. “Without the assistance of the community here this morning, this would have been a more difficult case to solve.”
The NYPD promised a heightened police presence overnight at all three crime scenes. Students attending high schools should expect to see officers when they arrive on Wednesday and when they leave in the afternoon.
Investigations into the shootings are ongoing.
Ana Ledo reports to us from the Upper West Side.
