A street vendor shot two others vendors in a busy intersection near Yankee Stadium Thursday afternoon, sending dozens of pedestrians scrambling from the area in terror, police and witnesses say.
"I was scared as hell," said a witness named Debbie who did not want to give her last name. "He was shooting with kids around, and I was worried about them. I thought the bullets were gonna hit me."
Police say the 52-year-old gunman, who was not identified, fired the shots at 161st Street and Gerard Avenue in the Bronx at about 1:30 p.m. Two street vendors were hit -- a 60-year-old man once in the abdomen, and a 41-year-old man multiple times in the abdomen.
Witnesses said the shooting appeared to have been sparked by a turf war: the shooter, who was running a stand selling African oils, apparently became upset with two vendors on his corner.
"They're always arguing," said neighbor Eddie Agosto. "They're always arguing about territory, who's selling what."
Witness Carlos Perez said the gunman continued to shoot at the 41-year-old victim, even as he begged the shooter to stop.
"I saw the guy on the floor with his arms up, saying 'Stop, stop stop,'" said Perez. "At least that's what I think he was saying, but he just kept shooting him."
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The man lay on the street writhing as good Samaritans tried to stop the bleeding. The shooter then fired at a 60-year-old, hitting him once in the abdomen before walking calmly up the street.
Court officers who were working nearby were able to apprehend the gunman and hold him until NYPD arrived.
"He got to the pizzeria, and by then, they had confronted him," said a witness. "They told him to drop his weapon and lay down on the ground. He thought about it for a couple seconds, and then he put the weapon down and laid down on the ground... It happened in a matter of seconds, but it always feels like a lot longer."
The victims were taken to Lincoln Hospital in serious but stable condition.
The stadium was not hosting a game Thursday.
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