By Carol Tannenhauser
On Monday night, at approximately 10:06 p.m., a 37-year-old man sitting in his car on the northeast corner of West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue was shot, an NYPD spokesperson told WSR.
“An unknown male, operating a dark-colored Dodge Charger, drove up alongside [the victim’s] vehicle and discharged a firearm at the victim,” the spokesperson said. “A bullet struck the victim, one time, in the hip. The unknown suspect drove from the location, unapprehended. The victim was then transported, via private means, to New York Presbyterian Hospital, in stable condition. No arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.”
A man whose apartment overlooks the intersection of 72nd and Columbus, wrote to WSR, minutes after the shooting, “4 shots. It looks like they’re looking for bullet casings. I ran to the window right after and saw a car speed up 72nd westbound. Then, I went to check if the baby was awake, but no, he’s a city kid, didn’t faze him.”
We will update as more details emerge.
Update: “At this point it does not appear to be random,” Captain Neil Zuber, commander of the 20th precinct, told WSR in an email. “The investigation is still in the beginning stages. I’m hopeful we’ll have a resolution soon.”
We were standing on our balcony on w 72nd, heard the 4 shots. Immediately after we saw a Red Benz hatchback aggressively speeding westbound on 72nd toward Amsterdam, tire screeching and all… Not sure if this Mercedes was involved or not but seemed suspicious
The shooter was definitely on Columbus, and definitely sped southbound after firing the rounds. Car was dark/probably black and looked like a fancy hybrid SUV.
Re: speeding west on 72nd street.
There is usually police presence at w72nd and Amsterdam/Bway. I hope the NYPD will have the vaccine mandate and work in-person pronto.
There should be multiple cameras at that intersection.
It took the police about 90 seconds to respond to the shooting. I didn’t see this for myself, but apparently a patrol vehicle was parked near the victim when the shooting started.
Yes, better to have the shooter remain free and go after you or me next than to have an unvaccinated police officer investigate the crime.
If you say so, I guess.
So report it to the police!
I heard five shots. I’m on 75th.
Two together, then some time passed, then two together, then some time, then one.
Didn’t get out of bed because I was half asleep and since it sounded like gunshots I didn’t want to accidentally get hit at the window.
There were five shots. Pretty close together. The incident was over within a few seconds.
This is why in my college freshman orientation they taught us as women that if we were being raped or attacked to yell fire, not help. Because if you yell help, no one will come and help you. But if you yell fire, that affects them so they’ll be right along.
I get that we’re not all the champions of the world, but you heard somebody getting shot and your reaction was just to go to sleep? That’s a human being! A person just like you! I guess if you ever get shot, yell fire.
You are right..scary
If I sprang from my bed and ran in my pajamas down onto the street every time I heard something that sounds like a gunshot… my doorman would have me committed.
There are drug deals going on up and down the block every day. Time for the 20th Precinct to step up their game. Just follow the vagrants, who are always high.
Just as many drug deals in the bro-corridors of Big finance and Big tech.
You may want it to be true, but it isn’t. Yes, there are drug deals on WS, but no way as many…and they are more discreet and less dangerous to the citizenry.
Baloney. There are not drug deals going on in the area.
35 year resident of Columbus & 73rd.
I’ve been in the neighborhood for 40 years. You must be blind.
Did you watch Needle Park
40-year-old movie!!
I hope this minor development doesn’t distract from the extremely important topics discussed at the next Community Board meetings, Bike Lanes and Car Free pedestrian areas….we can’t lose focus on what’s important…..
Good one – don’t forget to free the curbs by preventing free parking on residential side streets. The curbs are the new “huddled masses” yearning to breathe freely.
Where are the crowds calling to defund the police?
The Wild Wild Wild Upper West Side.
Sure looks & sounds like the 1970’s all over again.
We NEED our police! Unless u got a better
idea. Retrain reorganize yes but support our PD and be thankful.
Exactly!
I feel like I stepped into Doc Brown’s time machine and landed in 1979!
The NYPD was not defunded, their budget was increased. If it feels like the neighborhood is becoming more dangerous it’s because they aren’t very efficient at spending the billions of dollars we give them every year. When crime rises we need to demand more accountability from our police, not beat up a “defund” straw man that doesn’t exist.
https://council.nyc.gov/budget/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2021/05/NYPD.pdf
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-06/new-york-city-s-police-budget-is-increasing-again
The police did have major funding reallocated from things like the anti-crime unit, which got illegal guns off the street/
Sounds targeted.
Assume that corner has multiple cameras in place. Hopefully they caught the suspect in the act.
Another reason to drastically increase the deployment of speeding and red light cameras.
Just curious, WSR…
Why are we sometimes not allowed to comment on crime stories and other times it is OK, like in this case??
For example, the shooting last week on 89th and Amsterdam? I live right around there and was interested to hear what the neighborhood had to say about that one. Thanks.:)
WSR acts in mysterious ways sometimes. I walked past that site the day after that shooting and there were eight cops standing around.
I walked into the park last week shortly after the shooting at 89/Amsterdam, and there were police cars and crime tape blocking the entrance at 90th/CPW. I didn’t even know what was going on.
Question: Anyone have any experience with the ‘Citizen’ real-time crime-reporting app?
I would have privacy concerns, since the app links data to users including location, contacts (!), contact info (!), identifiers, and usage data.
But I do want to know what is going on in the neighborhood sooner than the next day.
Citizen is a bastion of misinformation and hysteria. I recommend avoiding it at all costs.
I’ve been using the Citizen app for 2 years and I do have control over the personal info that’s shared. I’ve avoided a few sketchy incidents because of the real time reporting, so I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
And at this time the SCOTUS is considering NY gun license laws. Sheesh!
Ah yes. I’m absolutely certain that someone who’s going to conduct a drive-by shooting will get a permit and purchase their weapon legally.
So that the innocent can protect themselves against criminals that are released from jail the second they arrive. I agree, more licenses.
Yes so right. We need more guns on the streets to reduce gun violence. Makes total sense.
Increased violent crime? After bail reform and cries for defunding the police. I hope people aren’t confused as to why criminals feel emboldened. Congratulations bleeding hearts, you got what you wanted.
Conservatives want more guns on the streets and then complain about all the shootings.
So dumb.
Nonsense…conservatives want people to have the ability to own guns LEGALLY. You’d have thought that the chaos wreaked in NYC and other large cities over the last two years would have opened your eyes.
Thank you for clarifying the conservative position. That’s why they are against any and all regulations on gun control. So “WE” can all love guns and buy/own as many firearms as we want.
What’s dumb is making endless gun laws and then being surprised that criminals still have lots of guns.
Moderates (who often get mistaken for conservatives in the UWS progressive echo chamber) want much stricter gun laws, more police, and stricter penalties, particularly for repeat offenders and/or significant crimes.
And believe it or not, many of those who live in the projects and other high crime areas feel the same way. That’s why Adams beat Wiley.
I think I have never encountered the use of ‘unapprehended’.
Using that word makes understanding a little complicated. The suspect could have ‘escaped’ a pursuit, or maybe no cop or other official attended leaving the suspect ‘unapprehended’. Maybe an official did attend but left the suspect alone. Or maybe not. I could go on.
Why do police news releases (and others who are trying to sound ‘official’—I can’t even tell if that’s what they are trying to do) so often dip into really weird uses of normal English words, ingeven avoid common usage?
I had the same reaction. Maybe someone was apprehended, then unapprehended. Or “released” as those of us not fluent in the language of the law enforcement element would say.
last sentence should read “even avoiding…”
the victim was sitting in a Lambo
What’s a “Lambo”?
A lamb gyro
Lamborghini
Multiple shootings over the last week and not a peep from our outgoing city council rep, Helen Rosenthal. Truly out of touch with her district. It will be no surprise when she pops up at one of these crooked non-profit orgs like CORE.
Jesus wept, will you Helen Haters ever give it a rest? This story has nothing to do with her.
I was walking on street level and saw the shooting. 1. They were not driving a Charger, it looked more like a hybrid SUV. 2. Five shots were fired, four were recovered at the scene and one wound up in the victim.
The shooters were through the intersection southbound when they stopped and fired backwards at the victim. I believe it was a passenger in the rear seat who leaned out the window to fire, but I only caught a glimpse as the car peeled off.
Hi, my brother was the fellow who was shot at. I also happened to be walking in the immediate vicinity when this nightmare transpired, specifically
Northbound on Columbus Avenue. I’ve not been able to close my eyes and reimagine since so I’ve not slept in over 24 hours. Would you please provide your testimony to detectives? If so, how would I reach you? Please help, a terrified younger sister. You could also call the 20th precinct and ask to speak with Detective Figueroa. Thank you. 🙂
I stayed behind and attempted to speak with the police at the scene, but they were already talking to other witnesses. I emphatically told them the shooting car was not a sportscar (they were already making that assumption), that he car was further south than they thought when it started firing, and they should talk to the waitstaff at Ellas who were even closer to the car than I was. Not sure what else I can do.
I heard the shots from 72nd mid block. At first I thought it was a car backfiring.
We used to have a camera facing the street on our building but landmarks made us take it down as they said it wasn’t approved. And the police always used to ask for our footage when incidents occurred. Made no sense but that’s NYC government.
Defund the Landmarks bureaucrats….
I also thought I heard 5 shots. I’m on 70th.
“Unapprehended” = loose on the streets of our neighborhood
This city is really falling apart. Defunding the police is not working, we need to double police presence.
In today’s New York Post, “road rage” is mentioned as the cause of this shooting.
Ostensibly, the NYPD have enough cameras to verify this(?)
We need to keep this stuff above 113th Street and below 59th.
I heard the gunshots (5) but I’m near Amsterdam. They clearly came from the East, and I saw the police on Coumbus swing into action immediately. Must say I had a de ja vu flash. Just recently attended the 50th anniversary showing of “Panic In Needle Park.” I lived in Forest Hills at the time but studied voice on 73rd and Amsterdam. Thought those days were gone and all but forgotten. Don’t have much faith in the 20th Precinct! When I reported a thief making off with my things they herded me into a corner and let her get away with ovr $1,000 of my valuables! She was pretty Reporting it did nothing at all!