Shocking footage has emerged of a gunman shooting dead a passenger who was sitting in a parked car on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in ...
Shocking footage has emerged of a gunman shooting dead a passenger who was sitting in a parked car on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in what police are describing as a 'drug deal gone bad'.
The killing, which happened in the middle of the day just after 2:30pm on Monday, occurred on East 95th Street between Lexington and Park Avenue - one of New York City's wealthiest areas.
Video released by the NYPD sees the shooter brandishing a black pistol as he got out of the driver's side seat of a silver SUV that was parked alongside a Honda.
Police have released video of a suspect who shot and killed a man sitting inside a vehicle on the Upper East Side
The suspect can be seen walking up to the car around 2pm on Monday and shoot a 20-year-old sitting in the front passenger seat
Police are hoping someone can identify the gunman, who is seen wearing a hoodie and a mask
The suspect then fired directly inside the Honda, killing the driver who was later identified as Chris Delinois of Brooklyn.
Delinois was fatally shot in the stomach as he sat behind the wheel of the parked car. He was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
The gunman, meanwhile, can be seen rushing around to jump back into the SUV before it speeds away with the trunk and passenger door still wide open.
Video shows the car then hitting a parked car before finally making a getaway.
Police are hoping someone can identify the gunman, who is seen wearing a black hoodie and a mask. The man ran toward Lexington Ave. and then set off uptown according to the Daily News.
Police found a large amount of marijuana in the back seat of the car later on.
Although marijuana possession is legal in New York, its sale is still prohibited.
The shooting occurred around 2pm on Monday in a 'drug deal gone wrong'
The gunman wearing a black hoodie and blue sweartpants could be seen running away
Surveillance footage captured an image of the gunman as he walked along the sidewalk
Monday's shooting comes amid a surge in gun violence in New York City following the bloodiest week so far this year, with 50 people shot across the city.
That is a 257 per cent spike from the same time last year, when the pandemic forced New Yorkers into their homes.
Last weekend, 31 people were wounded and six were killed in 28 shootings.
Earlier this month, a concerned Brooklyn mother called Nicole confronted the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, during a radio phone-in about shootings, and asked him: 'What's being done?'
The mayor blamed COVID-19 for the crime spike, saying: 'I think it comes back to this horrible combination of things we saw, you know, people didn't have jobs, almost a million people lost their jobs, schools were closed, houses of worship were closed. Things really were falling apart.'
New York City has seen 257 per cent spike in gun violence from the same time last year
De Blasio shifted to the focus to the city's reopening measures, which he says will cut crime as people return to work.
On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio announced a new Safe Summer NYC initiative, which he branded 'a comprehensive plan to end gun violence and bring New York City back from the COVID-19 crisis.'
'Safe Summer NYC will deter gun violence with real consequences for picking up a firearm and create disincentives to turning to a life of crime by providing real, positive alternatives for young people,' a press release reads.
'With a focus on the Community, Cops, and Courts & Justice System, the plan has three distinct components: increased investment in communities, strategic police presence in targeted areas, and greater coordination across the justice system.'
The plan includes a number of policing initiatives, including moving 200 police officers from administrative posts to enhance patrols in key areas and target gangs and crews 'with a focus on the 100 blocks with the highest rates of gun violence.'
The NYPD will also strengthen its partnerships with federal agencies to rapidly trace firearms used in crimes in the city and launch a gun buyback advertising campaign