As New York City police continue to search for the 15-year-old suspect who shot and killed a tourist at a Times Square store Thursday night, two business-minded executives spoke about efforts to improve neighborhood safety.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday, NYPD responded to a report of shots fired near Broadway and West 41st.cent They found a 38-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to one leg at the JD Sports store down the street. The victim, a Brazilian tourist, was later treated at New York City Health Hospital/Bellevue.
Two of the three male suspects have been arrested and remain in police custody, New York City Police Department Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press conference in front of H&M's Times Square headquarters on Friday. Video footage of the incident is being reviewed. The third suspect, a 15-year-old suspect, is still under investigation and is described as “armed and dangerous.” The three suspects shoplifted from the second floor of the store when they were stopped by a female security guard. One of the suspects pulled out a .25 caliber handgun and fired into the crowd at her. The third suspect lives at the Stafford Arms Hotel on the Upper West Side and came to the United States in September, Chell said.
JD Sports executives declined to comment on Friday about increased security, counseling services for employees or funding for victims.
Times Square from 40 metersth up to 53rd The street from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue is a major commercial district and tourist destination. Last week, the square averaged about 250,000 pedestrians, said TJ Witham, vice president of communications for the Times Square Alliance. But on Tuesday, more than 300,000 people passed through.
Retail crime in New York remains a pressing issue for many major companies, including chains such as Target, Walmart and CVS, which have closed some stores due to theft. According to a report by the National Retail Federation, retail contraction losses as a percentage of total retail sales in 2022 were $112.1 billion, compared to $93.9 billion in 2021.
Tom Harris, chairman of the Times Square Alliance, which includes about 600 retailers, said there will be a police presence in Times Square on Friday, including a 137-person NYPD specialized unit and two police subdivisions within the city limits. It is said that there has been a slight increase. He called the shooting “an unfortunate incident. Today, Times Square is crowded with tourists and New Yorkers, who appear to be having fun.”
Harris said he is confident the NYPD has arrested the suspect and will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and said there have been no other shootings at Times Square stores this year. Additionally, the NYPD said Thursday that police units have been assigned to increase patrols around the theater. “We always work closely with the police and the police. [New York City Mayor Eric] The Adams administration will bring the resources we need to keep people safe,” Harris said.
Harris, a 16-year veteran of the Alliance, said he spoke with the victim Friday and spoke with the manager of the hotel where the victim was staying. “He said she was doing very well. Today was her last day in the city and all she wanted to do was finish her shopping that she had done yesterday. “I did,” Harris said.
The Fashion District Business Alliance's pre- and post-holiday foot traffic was higher than 2019 numbers, thanks in large part to tourists, said President Barbara Blair. Last year, the city attracted 64 million tourists. “One of the problems is we don't have a lot of office tenants, and that's a problem for ground floor retail. When 20% of them go missing, there's a big impact. But the bar… “We're packed during happy hour on weekdays,” Blair said.
As of late September, the average weekday attendance rate for office workers in Manhattan was 58%, but is expected to rise to only 59% over the long term, according to the New York City Partnership.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said crime rates and street conditions in the neighborhood had improved “dramatically” over the past three to four months. According to NYPD statistics, the number of robberies in South Midtown decreased by nearly 32 percent last year compared to 2022, and the number of robberies decreased by 38.2 percent. Furthermore, the annual incidence of murder and rape decreased by 62.5 percent and 39.1 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, within the police station, petit theft increased by 17.6%.
“We're on the right path. There's a lot of things being done in conjunction with the police. One of the problems we have is the courts won't do it. [always] even if it leads to prosecution [some] people have [committed] There were multiple violations, offenses and citations,” Prime Minister Blair said. “Because we're not the police, [the robbers are sometimes] He was arrested many times. Even when the district attorney attempts to restrain some jurors, judges do not restrain them. ”
Blair said he and “a number of bidders in Midtown.” [Business Improvement Districts] They are proposing legislation to state officials related to involuntary removal from the streets if they pose a danger to themselves or others. “What we really want to say to Albany is that individuals who do not have the ability to make their own health care decisions and who are causing disturbances that threaten or frighten their neighbors should be removed from the streets. That doesn't mean throwing them into prisons or institutions,” Prime Minister Blair said.
