By Joy Bergmann
At 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning, the NYPD arrested Sincere Vanterpool, 18, as the alleged perpetrator of a January 12th “shots fired” incident at W. 102nd Street between CPW and Manhattan Avenue, police officials said. Police reports say Vanterpool is not an Upper West Sider; his cited address is in the East River Houses on 105th Street and First Avenue. Vanterpool is facing charges of criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon-loaded firearm, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a firearm, according to NYPD.
Meanwhile on Monday night, multiple 911 callers reported a possible “shots fired” episode around 11:35 p.m. in the area of 875 Columbus near West 103rd Street, police officials said. Officers from the 24th Precinct say the incident is currently under investigation.
Monday’s frigid temperatures apparently did not prevent between seven and ten shots from being heard by witnesses relaying information via the Citizen app, a real-time crime and safety alert service. A commenter with the screen name NoClownsAllowed noted, “We got families. Nobody wanna be in jail or getting hit by accident cuz some fool shooting all scary.”