NYPD: Man, woman killed in separate East Village shootings, search on for gunmen
NEW YORK -- Gun violence was a major concern on Thursday in the East Village.
That's after the NYPD responded to two shootings just blocks from each other.
In each case, the victim was shot in the head, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
During the afternoon, police say a 26-year-old man was shot in a courtyard. He was on a Citi Bike that ended up on the ground, with a pool of blood next to it.
"I was sitting at my window and I heard three shots. First, I thought it was firecrackers. Then, I thought it was strange, a pop every 10 seconds," one person said.
That person was talking about the sound of gunshots on East 12th Street, between avenues C and D.
"Then I heard hollering and commotion going on down here, so I looked out my window and saw the guy sprawled out on the ground," the witness said.
Police say the victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was declared dead. The shooting was reported at around 1:30 p.m. The shooter, cops say, is still at large.
"I know that happens, but you go about your business day to day and you don't think something like this could happen to a random person who didn't necessarily invite this," a woman said.
There is a sense of unease, not just where the afternoon shooting happened, but throughout the East Village.
In the morning, a 25-year-old woman was shot in the head while walking along East 14th Street, blocks from Union Square.
"A loud boom, that's it, and then when I turned around, I saw this lady on floor," a person said.
That victim, from Virginia but with ties to East New York, Brooklyn, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe she was the intended target.
Even so, that's still concerning for those who work in the area.
"It could have been me, could have been me, because I walk this exact area every morning," Sofia Fredrick, who works nearby, told CBS2's John Dias.
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams said the gun violence highlights concerns he has talked about surrounding the new gun-carry laws in the state.
"The open proliferation of guns on our streets and people using them for violent means," he said.
Police said the woman killed Thursday morning had no prior criminal record, and it's not clear why she was targeted.
CBS2 is waiting to find out more about this second shooting. No motive was revealed, as police work to make arrests in both incidents.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
