'Persons of Interest' Sought in Shooting That Wounded Bystanders
NYPD released these photos of the two men who are being sought.
Police are looking for two “persons of interest” wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting Monday afternoon near Battery Park that left two bystanders wounded. A 32-year-old woman was grazed in the ankle and a man, 40, was grazed in the chest, police said, when shots were fired near Battery Place and Washington Street.
The man was transported privately to Long Island College Hospital and EMS removed the woman to Lower Manhattan Hospital; both were in stable condition, police said.
Police reportedly believe the dispute erupted between men selling tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
“There was a few people in the argument, they went around the corner to handle the dispute because they can’t argue here and the next thing you know, shots rang out,” a witness told ABC7. “A group of them that were in the argument ran back this way and the gunman continued up the block.”
Police are seeking two black males, both between 30 and 40 years old, one with a heavy build last seen wearing a black hat, black jacket, red plaid shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. The other man is bald and was seen wearing blue jeans, multi-colored sneakers and carrying a tan backpack.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at NYPDCrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP57
Last year, the NYPD began cracking down on illegal vendors after a fake ticket seller in Battery Park punched a tourist in the face, fracturing his skull, when the victim refused to buy a ticket. But in a statement on Tuesday, Councilwoman Margaret Chin noted that the shooting occurred around dismissal time for nearby P.S./I.S. 276 and said that the city needs to do more to weed out intimidating and harassing ticket sellers.
“I am calling on the Administration, and specifically the Department of Consumer Affairs,” she said, “to act to rein in ticket selling at the Battery, which has so clearly spiraled out of control.”