By Gus Saltonstall
A man was shot and killed Thursday evening on the Upper West Side, a police spokesperson confirmed to West Side Rag.
Rashaun Hopkins, 33, was shot multiple times in the chest around 5 p.m. in front of 53 West 104th Street, between Columbus and Manhattan avenues, police said. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, NYPD added.
Hopkins was a resident of a building within the NYCHA Frederick Douglass Houses, according to police.
There have been no arrests as of 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said. ABC7 reported that a suspect fled on a moped.
It is also unclear what led up to the shooting, NYPD added.
This is a developing story, please check back in for updates.
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My first thought was, this is near NYCHA. Horrible.
Not the first shooting there. Shootings have been occurring in that vicinity for decades.
Yes, it’s sad that a NYCHA resident was murdered
It is sickening to think about how much I pay in rent to live in this neighborhood to raise my child here etc only to have this happening a 5 minute walk from our apartment, on a street we need to walk on. All issues start and end with NYCHA.
Uh, no … hardly. I suggest you watch some of the TV crime shows, as there are plenty of channels that air them all day and night, and then find a corner of America where there’s no homicide. Good luck with your disgust — it’s unique to the largest City in America. And by the way, three-quarters of all homicides are committed by people who know the victim. Homicide is everywhere.
So move and place your kid in a bubble. He should be fine
All issues start and end with the 2nd amendment and the gun lobby. Repeal!
All issues start and end with people who wish to murder. The weapon is simply a subsequent downstream choice.
And when a rich kid OD’s on West End, Riverside or CPW, one could say the same about living around amoral drug addicts.
Have some respect for the dead man and his family.
Sorry people need affordable housing
Way to make a tragedy about yourself! So sorry that someone’s loved one, a human being, getting shot and killed evokes zero empathy in you because he was *checks notes* living in affordable housing? Jesus.
to Cdo: Gbs was not making a tragedy of herself. She is a mother of a young child whom she feels is in possible great danger in close proximity to where she lives. That is an entirely valid and understandable emotion. And I think you are being simplistic to assume that she has no sympathy.
But as a mother myself, her knee-jerk response makes tragic sense.That doesn’t make her a bad person. It makes her a mother.
The dead man was a father. His children and family are suffering.
Please have some consideration for them and the broader community – some of whom are reading these ghoulish remarks – before deciding to voice some decidedly retrograde opinions.
Many of us who grew up in this very same area had friends killed in tragic circumstances. New York City wasn’t always Disneyland – and it still isn’t for many.
Yes, he was clearly killed solely because he was *checks notes* living in affordable housing.
It’s a very difficult problem to solve. It’s impossible to know who at NYCHA has a gun or is a gang member. Virtually unsolvable mystery. If only billionaires paid their fair share, this wouldn’t be happening. (Wealth tax now!) Poverty and lack of economic opportunity created this murder.
The tone of voice is a just a tad off this time, but you are making progress. Keep at it and someday your tongue-in-cheek remarks may be virtually indistinguishable from those of a compassionate human being.
People make choices in life. Some decide to get an education, to learn a trade, to work hard and not expect immediate gratification. Others look for the easy way with no forethought. They act impulsively and violently. Not sure how a wealth tax changes any of that.
Throwing money at crime is not the answer. Putting criminals in jail and keeping them there is the answer.
For many kids growing up on the projects, the gangs are economic opportunity. They are the best choice for money and social status, and are an easy choice when compared to going to college. Until you tip the balance on the advance via a gang or advance via higher ed choice, you can tax all you want. Just be sure to expect the same result we’ve seen since the Great Society, which is to say very little.
I guess he was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”. Guns don’t shoot themselves. They need a finger to pull the trigger. A shame he lost his life.
Hope the guy is caught soon
Over the years the police have repeatedly stated that about 75% of murder victims are known to the murderer. Although it may be random, statistic suggest otherwise.
May he rest in peace. I am so sorry.
The good news is no one else was hurt or injured.
Trying to be an optimist.
Sad as this is, nothing will change.
Used to live at 105 and Columbus…I got outta there as soon as my lease expired.
What a tragedy, rest in peace Rashaun Hopkins
Being caught isn’t enough. Criminals need to be put in jail and kept there. We must get rid of Alvin Bragg. those who vote for him and others like him need to revisit their voting habits.
The murder rate today is less than half what it was when Giuliani “made us safe.”
Ask yourself why you can’t accept simple data.
You keep telling yourself that. Guiliani inherited Dunkin’s mess and cleaned it up.
Look at the actual crime stats under Dinkins and ask yourself why you can’t accept simple data.
BTW: our two best police commissioners? Bratton and Kelly?
Both were brought to NYC by David Dinkins.
You can look it up.
For anyone who likes facts:
The murder rate in NYC peaked in 1990. That was Dinkins’ first year as mayor. Meaning the murder rate went down under Dinkins. It went down 13% from his first year to his last.
“Man Who Shot His Former Boss on UWS Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison: DA” (https://www.westsiderag.com/2026/04/10/man-who-shot-his-former-boss-on-uws-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison-da)
This Alvin Bragg?
Bernie Goetz served eight years. The DA isn’t the judge or the jury.
Quite true, of course. My comment was in response to Linda’s “We must get rid of Alvin Bragg. those who vote for him and others like him need to revisit their voting habits.”
Mr. Hopkins was a father who was killed on my street (104) on a block I travel, shop, and greet familiar faces almost daily. My immediate neighborhood–which includes the Frederick Douglass Houses– is full of kind, friendly people. Please do not disparage my neighbors or be disrespectful to Mr. Hopkins or his family.
Why are these housing projects located in otherwise wonderful areas? It’s clear a lot of crime originates from the projects.
Everyone would be better served if the city sold the land for an ENORMOUS sum of money and housed these people elsewhere in the city.
In what particular unwonderful areas do you suggest housing projects be located?
“Everyone would be better served” if lower income folks were evicted from their neighborhoods, thus losing their schools, communities, and possibly their jobs, so that wealthy people will feel even more comfortable?
Gotta disagree with you, respectfully….economic diversity makes a neighborhood great and the amount of public housing in NYC is one of its strengths. We don’t have the facts about this tragedy, but generally speaking, poverty and lack of recourses engenders conflict. Moving it doesn’t solve the problem. Indeed, one could argue that social housing should consist of smaller units that are more integrated with wealthy areas….that’s not a realistic goal in this instance, but selling the land and knocking down those buildings, kicking our neighbors out of their homes and then further concentrating poverty “elsewhere in the city” won’t really help at all and honestly sounds cruel as well.
Poverty in NYC does not drive violence. Asian Americans in NYC have a higher poverty rate than nearly all other groups but significantly lower rates of violent crime.
Separately, If the city sold the land, the massive cash influx could be appropriated to helping the needy.
“economic diversity makes a neighborhood great and the amount of public housing in NYC is one of its strengths”
– laughing so hard now. Delusions of the very left.
These housing projects have been there since long before this became an “otherwise wonderful area.”
Don’t act like OP just trying to keep their kid in a bubble. This is gun violence at your doorstep!