Three people were injured when a suspect opened fire near Times Square in the centre of New York early on Saturday morning, police said.
Two men, aged 19 and 65, suffered gunshot wounds and an 18-year-old woman suffered a graze wound to the neck, a spokeswoman for the New York police department (NYPD) said.
Police at the scene
KYLE MAZZA/SHUTTERSTOCK
They were taken to hospital in a stable condition after the incident at 1.20am at the intersection of West 44th Street and 7th Avenue. The 19-year-old was shot in the right foot and the 65-year-old in the left leg.
A 17-year-old suspect was taken into custody and the investigation is continuing, the NYPD added. Police believe the incident escalated from a “verbal dispute” between two people.
Bystanders embrace in the aftermath of the attack
KYLE MAZZA/SHUTTERSTOCK
One witness, a photographer who has an account on YouTube under the name Leeroy Johnson, said he saw cars with bullet holes.
He posted a video on X that showed police and emergency services responding to the incident and a man being treated on the ground before being taken to an ambulance.
“Three people have been shot in the heart of Times Square,” the post read. “Bodies are on the ground, bullet holes pierce car windows. The chaos unfolded near a major tourist area. One suspect is in custody.”
The witness claimed he was “two cars in front of the car that got shot up”.
The scene of the shooting is a block away from Times Square and close to tourist attractions including the Hard Rock Cafe and Minskoff Theatre.
Last week four people were killed in a shooting at a skyscraper on Park Avenue, Manhattan. The suspect, Shane Tamura, a former high school footballer, was targeting the headquarters of the NFL, police said.
The NYPD announced on Monday that so far this year the city had seen the fewest shooting incidents and victims in recorded history. A total 412 shooting incidents and 489 shooting victims were recorded in the first seven months of 2025, compared with the previous lows of 426 incidents in 2017 and 522 victims in 2018, the force said.
