A broad daylight shooting near Downtown Brooklyn’s MetroTech Commons sent passersby and nearby vendors ducking for cover Tuesday afternoon.
Police say a man was shot in the arm at around 3 pm outside 6 MetroTech. The building is part of NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s campus and also houses a Starbucks.
The victim was a 19-year-old student, according to NYU spokesperson John Beckman.
”Our understanding is that the shooting was the result of a dispute that originated elsewhere in the vicinity,” Beckman said in a statement. “A male bystander, an NYU student who was standing outside in the MetroTech plaza, was injured by a stray bullet or a ricochet. After being injured, the individual proceeded into one of our buildings, where he was promptly attended to by emergency responders and taken to the hospital.”
The victim’s injuries appear to be non-life threatening, according to authorities on the scene, who said the man was taken to Bellevue Hospital for examination. The suspect, however, got away.
A vendor at nearby Blank Street Coffee told Brooklyn Paper that they heard three shots fired, and proceeded to hide in the little green trailer they sell their goods out of.
MetroTech security personnel said they were working with police to review relevant camera footage.
As of Sept. 12, when the most recent police data is available, there were just six shooting incidents in Downtown Brooklyn’s 84th Precinct since the beginning of the year, unchanged from last year’s number of shootings during the same time frame.
“We are deeply concerned about the well-being of the injured student; the thoughts of the NYU community are with him, as our profound wishes that his injuries are not too serious and his recovery will be swift,” Beckman continued, adding that NYU sent personnel to the hospital to offer support to the student’s family.
“The University is also concerned about the occurrence of a shooting so near one of our buildings. We will be talking with city law enforcement authorities about the episode and what can be done to enhance safety in the area.”
