After approaching a man who was behaving strangely at a Times Square intersection, NYPD officers opened fired during a chase but instead struck two female bystanders Saturday night (September 14). Reports say the man, who pretended to have a gun, was actually unarmed.
Several outlets covered the story, gathering several eyewitness accounts. The New York Times spoke with one man, an unnamed retired cop, who said the man seemed to place himself willingly into harm’s way.
“He was just wandering, running away from the cop,” said the witness to the Times. “He tried to run and ended up getting hit by three different cars.”
The man reportedly reached into his waistband and produced his hands in the form of a gun, prompting the two officers giving chase to shoot at the suspect. Instead of hitting the unidentified 35-year-old man, a 54-year-old woman using a walker was hit and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. The second shooting victim, a 35-year-old woman was struck in the rear, and received treatment at Roosevelt Hospital.
A witness speaking to the New York Daily News said that the man appeared to be mentally disturbed, and was causing a scene before cops decided to intervene. None of the three shots fired hit the man, but he was eventually subdued and tasered then sent under police custody to Bellevue. The two officers involved in the shooting have not been on the job long, with one working for just 18 months while the other has about three years experience.
Watch a cellphone video of the shooting in the clip below. Hit the next page to see shocking images of one of the shot bystanders and the incident itself on the following pages.
[Props to Gawker]
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Photos: New York Daily News, New York Times, Twitter/Kerri Ann Nesbeth
