‘People Ran Screaming’ After Shooting on West 64th Street; Suspect Caught in Convoluted Chase (Updated)
250 West 63rd Street, near the site of the shooting.
A man was shot in front of 236 West 64th Street, outside the Amsterdam Houses, at around 4 p.m. on Monday, an NYPD spokeswoman told WSR. A suspect is in custody. The victim was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.
ABC News caught a video of an attempted escape made in another incident in the vicinity of the shooting, with a surprising result.
#BREAKING: Video shows the moment a man escaped from the back of an NYPD car before he was tackled by police after a shooting on the Upper West Side: https://t.co/PXCTvHZosv pic.twitter.com/ttSVHl87m7
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 21, 2019
It turns out, the man in the video who slipped through the window of a police car in an attempt to escape was the shooter the police were seeking, but they did not know it, the NYPD said.
“An eyewitness alerted us and a video later confirmed the identification,” Deputy Inspector Timothy Malin, commander of the 20th precinct, told WSR.
Raymond Johnson, 28, was arrested twice yesterday, first for fighting, and then for shooting a 27-year-old man — an act he had committed before the fight — following another altercation in front of 236 West 64th Street, according to Malin.
“Though we didn’t know it at the time, Raymond Johnson was the perpetrator from the shooting, and this is likely why he was trying to escape,” Malin said. “Because Officer Michael Fitzpatrick was attentive and quick to act, the shooter’s escape attempt was foiled. It was Officer Fitzpatrick who tackled him.”
Johnson had successfully escaped the shooting incident, but subsequently got into another fight and was picked up in front of 250 West 63rd Street, he said. Police had him in a patrol car, handcuffed from behind, but he stepped through the cuffs, lowered the window, and made his escape. (That’s when the video takes place.)
The shooting occurred near a playground. “People ran screaming,” wrote Rebecca Soffer, whose children were in the playground.
Either something is wrong w/Twitter’s algorithm or very wrong w/us. Yesterday’s thread got zero interaction so let’s try again: There was a SHOOTING at my kids’ #UWS playground, while they watched. Multiple shots. People ran screaming. My kids are 5 & 2. Babies were there.
— Rebecca Soffer (@RebeccaSoffer) October 22, 2019
Johnson is now in custody, charged with assault 2, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, harassment, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and escape, for the two separate incidents. The victim of the shooting was hit in his left lower abdomen and is expected to survive. Johnson and the police officer who tackled him sustained bruises to the knee and face.
This post was revised and updated based on information released by the NYPD Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening, we received the following update:
After reviewing the video, police determined that the victim of the shooting was also a shooter. “He fired at Johnson in a manner that was not consistent with self defense,” Malin said. He was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal use of a firearm.
There is no crime in our city according to the Mayor only 2 muggings and a shooting in the last 10 days in a 12 block radius
Do you have a source for the quote about there being no crime in the city?
That’s the point Will. Wait till justice reform starts up . These crimes will just lead to probation.
That is not what justice reform calls for. It focuses on not imprisoning no-violent offenders. I wouldn’t call this (nor would those who support criminal justice reform) non-violent.
We’re slipping back to the ’80s. . Bring back stop, question and frisk. Enforce the laws take care of the small things and the big things will fall in place. That’s how crime was turned around in the ’90s. Community officers have to be put back on the street not spend their time having coffee and donuts with the faithful. I want a safe city not a chit chat with the local cop.
That’s not how crime was stopped. It was demographics.The age group most associated with street crime–late teens, young adults–was in short supply during that period. They simply hadn’t been born.
There are also studies suggesting that crime falls when birth control and abortion are available. And when incomes rise. But it is a lot more fun to say that it’s all about not pounding on whoever you don’t like.
There are actual studies that show Stop & Frisk is ineffective:
“A statistical study of nearly 4.5 million stops produced at trial showed that only 6 percent of stops resulted in arrests and 6 percent resulted in summonses — which meant that 88 percent of the people stopped had been doing nothing wrong.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/opinion/policing-the-police-on-stop-and-frisk.html
https://www.nyclu.org/en/stop-and-frisk-data
These “crime is going back to…” responses are not only annoying, but factually wrong.
Sorry, but it doesn’t take into consideration those who would have otherwise been walking around with weapons if they weren’t fearful of being stopped, questioned, and frisked in the first place. It’s the deterrent factor that is most important.
I say this every time it comes up, but some people keep repeating the same untruths, over and over:
The police can still stop, question, and frisk, if they have a REASON to do so. Here is the relevant regulation, which is very broad:
“IN ORDER TO CONDUCT A STOP, AN OFFICER MUST HAVE INDIVIDUALIZED, REASONABLE
SUSPICION THAT THE PERSON STOPPED HAS COMMITTED, IS COMMITTING, OR IS ABOUT TO
COMMIT A FELONY OR PENAL LAW MISDEMEANOR. IN ADDITION, THE OFFICER MUST BE
ABLE TO ARTICULATE FACTS ESTABLISHING A MINIMAL LEVEL OF OBJECTIVE
JUSTIFICATION FOR MAKING THE STOP, WHICH MEANS MORE THAN A MERE SUSPICION OR A
HUNCH.”
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/ccrb/downloads/pdf/investigations_pdf/20150302_finest-message-stop-frisk-pursuant-to-floyd.pdf
What was done away with was “stop and frisk” based on RACIAL PROFILING. Stopping and frisking hundreds of thousands of people a year (that was the scope of what was happening under Bloomberg) solely based on race, age, and gender (Black and Hispanic men mostly under 40) is the very definition of a racist practice. Almost every Black male i know in NYC was stopped and frisked repeatedly during this period. This practice was ruled unconstitutional.
Do you really want to bring back this openly racist practice?
The man escaping the vehicle was not arrested in connection with the actual shooting according to reports, he was part of a crowd control situation on the scene. So…armed man still running around our neighborhood apparently… seems to be getting worse everyday around here. Walking through that area from my apartment on west end used to be just like walking through anywhere else—lately when we walk to work in the morning it’s through trash filled sidewalks, a cloud of weed smoke and who knows what else… as much as I hate it for us, I hate it more for the countless nice families we’ve met and gotten to know who live in the Amsterdam Houses.
I’m not sure what you’re saying – the guy who was arrested turned out to be the one who did the shooting.
Ummm who thought it was a good idea to put the guy in the back and just leave the window wide open? Why not open the door for him and roll out the red carpet so he could strut away?
Wow embarrassing for the cops. Someone forget to put the window locks on?
There does seem to be more crime happening on the UWS and around the edges of Lincoln Center in particular. (This is the second recent shooting.) Are gangs and their drug trade moving in? Do we need more stop and frisk? Does it coincide with the relaxed penalty for subway turnstile jumping, creating a new but old atmosphere of lawlessness? Whatever the statistics are, it doesn’t feel good at all.
And this clown wanted to run for President? Say all the dumb stuff you want to say about Rudy, but when he was the Sheriff in town, I felt much safer!
Giuliani was and is a glory-hound. At least give Bratton the credit he deserves.
Nah, you’re confused. Bratton was the guy who loved the glory and limelight. He ended up in Tinseltown (Los Angeles Police Chief). If you’re talking about the technicalities used in crime fighting during the Rudy era, most credit Jack Maple for Compstat. Bring back a Mayor who believes in fighting “quality of life” crimes. It all begins there.
Crime is way up on the UWS, despite the Mayor’s denial. The Compstat statistics are now unreliable, because of pressure on the NYPD to ignore shoplifting and aggressive street behavior.
When you elect a mayor and a city council that care more about protecting people who jump over turnstiles and commit other “victimless” crimes, who care more about criminals than the cops, history has proven that increased crime follows.
Friends, keep voting for the same people and the same party in NYC, and you will see a further decline on our safety and quality of life.
Ok, if Compstat is unreliable, how do you source your “crime is up” claim?
I don’t disagree with some of what you say, but history does not prove that.
Agreed, crime is underreported. I was at an UWS Duane Reade during a shoplifting, witnessed by another customer. The staff said theft happens so often/daily that they do not bother to report it anymore. T
The Jets should have signed the long haired cop on the spot… maybe he could have stopped TB and the Pats….
Amsterdam Houses is kind of an interesting area.
It’s surrounded by Lincoln Center and luxury apartment complexes.
Crazy how there’s such a dichotomy between rich and poor in such a small area.
When Amsterdam Houses were built, there was no luxury housing. Lincoln Center was built on what were tenements (the tenements you see in West Side Story, which was filmed there). The area was not the best. The divide was the Lincoln Towers complex, which was built for middle-class..
Oh no, part time Mayor of New York City, Bill Deblasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO, but who had tremendous room for growth, has shockingly dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated – he’s coming home!
What is Helen Rosenthal doing about it??
Somebody better wake her up, she has no idea.
Of course NYC liberals see no correlation between high crime and horrible subway service with Democratic mayors. Di Blasio should never have been reelected and maybe everyone will think twice about who to vote for in the next mayoral election.
Oh please, this has nothing to do with “liberals not seeing”. I don’t like DiBlasi, never did. I just thought (and still think) he as better than the alternative. He sucks. the other one sucked more.
There’s 24/7 drug dealing going on right in the open, right in front of the playground on that block. Constant “herbal” smoke.
Never seen police bothering to stop by, drive by, etc.
This was bound to happen, and will happen again, if the police does not nothing to stop such brazen activity..
I don’t think programs that have proven to be racially biased will help but, sadly, we do need more police presence in this area.
It was great to see the community receive a completely renovated and updated playground. It’s been great to see the summer basketball league and all the positive potential it holds for the community.
It’s been terribly disheartening to walk by on a daily basis to see the negative role models hanging around and completely conspicuous drug deals going down right next to the playground entrance.
What is the solution? Intense surveillance cameras? Police posted at every playground?
Yes. There should be a squad car posted on that block 24/7. Someone just got shot. There are several day care centers within one block. People have stopped taking their kids to that playground. It’s gotten out of hand.
You know, many of you lament the loss of ‘the old days’ in our neighborhood. At the same time you are appalled by the existence of ANY crime near your precious home and bubble of denial. You can’t have it both ways, folks. Could it be that YOU are the ones who have changed and become intolerant??
Incredible story! Hard to believe this is happening in our neighborhood. Nice reporting–thank you.
Before we start debating the NYC criminal justice system, can we take personal phones away from police officers? There is no reason in the world for an officer to be sitting in a police car staring at his/her phone. If there is a family emergency they have that nifty car radio.
I completely agree about the phones… it is so scary…