NEW YORK — Extra police officers are being deployed to Times Square following Saturday's shooting, which injured three people, including a 4-year-old Brooklyn girl, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday.
“It’s important to show people that presence,” de Blasio said at a news conference. “I think it is reassuring and helpful.”
The additional officers deployed to Times Square will be from the Critical Response Command unit, a subdivision of the counterterrorism department of the NYPD, the mayor said.
Though the shooting happened in one of the busiest areas in NYC at a time when the city is trying to convince people to come back, the mayor said he did not think it would significantly impact tourism moving forward.
“In the end, people want to come to this city,” de Blasio said. “It is an overwhelmingly safe city when you look at New York City compared to cities around the country, around the world. This is a very safe place.”
The NYPD is continuing its search for a person of interest, identified as Farrakhan Muhammad, 31, in regards to the shooting.
Police have a released a photo of Muhammad that they say was taken in March 2020 after Muhammad was charged with assault.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference Saturday that preliminary information indicated there was a dispute among two to four people that led to at least one person pulling out a gun and firing.
The three victims did not know one another, and it appeared they were all innocent bystanders, Shea said.
The NYPD said all three were transported to Bellevue Hospital, and were expected to survive their injuries.
Shea said the 4-year-old girl was “shopping for toys” with her family when she was shot in the leg late Saturday afternoon. She was expected to undergo surgery at Bellevue Hospital, Shea said.
The police commissioner said a 23-year-old woman who was visiting the city from Rhode Island was also shot in the leg. He said the woman was in Times Square after being unable to get tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty.
A third woman, a 43-year-old woman from New Jersey, was shot in the foot, Shea said.
Shea said a gun had not yet been recovered at the scene, but three shell casings that appeared to be 25 caliber were recovered.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
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