Metro

14-year-old boy shot on bus in NYC, cops say

A 14-year-old boy was shot as he jumped on a city bus to escape his attacker in Harlem Thursday morning, police said.

A bullet grazed the teenager’s head as he was boarding the M1 bus on the corner of West 139th Street and Lenox Avenue just before 10 a.m., according to cops.

Police said the gunman trailed the boy down the block before opening fire at the front entrance of the bus. 

One of the rounds hit the protective shield near the driver inside the bus, said Deputy Inspector Peter Fiorillo of the Detective Bureau Manhattan North. Another bullet struck the windshield directly in front of the driver, a 39-year-old man with four-and-a-half years on the job.

“The bus operator barrier stopped one of the bullets, otherwise there could have been more serious consequences,” MTA President Craig Cipriano said at a press conference.

Both the teen and the driver, who suffered an injury to his hand, were hospitalized and are expected to recover.

A man believed to be the shooter was spotted fleeing the scene on foot, according to police.

Police investigate the scene where a bus was hit by gunshots at W 139th St and Lenox Ave in Manhattan, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. A teenage boy was reportedly injured by the gunfire. (Photo by Hakim Gibson)
Police investigate the scene where a bus was hit by gunshots at W 139th St and Lenox Ave in Manhattan. Hakim Gibson

Detectives were canvassing the area for surveillance footage that may have captured the suspect. 

“After viewing some video, I can say it looks intentional to me,” Fiorillo told reporters at the scene.

It was the latest incident in a spate of violence involving young New Yorkers.

Just last Thursday, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the knee on a Bronx basketball court, allegedly by another 13-year-old boy.

A Post analysis of NYPD data found that at least 21 children were killed by either guns or knives between January and Sept. 30 — more than triple the number for the same period in both 2019 and 2020.

Iesha Sekou, the founder of local non-violence group Street Corner Resources, said she met with the victim in Thursday’s shooting and his family, adding that the teen was “up and walking.”

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Police on scene at W139th St and Lenox Ave
Police on scene at W139th St and Lenox AveHakim Gibson
An M1 bus was struck by gunfire.
An M1 bus was struck by gunfire.Hakim Gibson
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Police investigate the shooting.
Police investigate the shooting.Hakim Gibson
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“What I want for the young man is to be safe, not to be engaged in violent activities,” she said. 

“He was shot at his head. This says that someone was trying to take his life.”

The nonprofit group responds to local shootings, stabbings and fights and meets with victims at hospitals. 

“We’ve been responding almost every day, sometimes two, three times a day because that’s how many shootings have been occurring lately,” Sekou said.

“When we got the call this morning, the only surprise was not that there was a shooting, but that it was happening so early,” she added. “This is something that’s really disheartening in our community, that shootings are happening so early.”

Additional reporting by Tamar Lapin