Chaos unfolded on a Harlem street on Monday evening when a shooting left a man lying wounded in a puddle of blood, a teen boy in police custody, and an NYPD officer firing their service weapon.
According to police sources, two teen boys riding a kick scooter and a Citi Bike, respectively, were traveling northbound on Lenox Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. on July 21 when they reached 115th Street. Cops say both boys brandished guns and opened fire.
A 30-year-old man was struck by a bullet in his right thigh, leaving him on the ground in agony and lying in a pool of blood.
Responding officers from the 28th Precinct wrapped a tourniquet around the victim’s leg to stop the profuse bleeding. EMS lifted him on a stretcher and rushed him to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he is expected to survive his injuries.
Meanwhile, the shooters fled southbound, one riding the bike while the other tossed his scooter and took off running. Sources familiar with the incident report that a police officer one block away spotted one of the boys and gave chase.
The female officer demanded that the trigger-happy teen stop, but when he kept running, she fired her gun, the sources said. The boy, later identified as a 15-year-old, was not struck by the gunfire and surrendered to police. Officers found a 9 mm handgun in his possession as he was arrested. He was charged with attempted murder, three counts of assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Law enforcement sources said that the other shooter remains at large. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
