What to Know
- An arrest has been made after an upstate Marine in NYC for a baptism was shot while walking with his family in Times Square; he was not the intended target
- A 16-year-old was arrested and charged as a juvenile with assault; his identity was not released because he is a minor
- Acknowledging the need to make the Crossroads of the World safer, Mayor Bill de Blasio preciously unveiled what he called the Times Square Safety Action Plan, which calls for deploying an extra 50+ police officers
A teenager has been arrested in the June Times Square shooting of a 21-year-old upstate Marine, according to two senior NYPD officials.
The 16-year-old was arrested Wednesday, but his identity was not released because he is a minor. The teen surrendered himself to police, and was charged as a juvenile with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons possession, police said. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
The shooting occurred on June 27, as Samuel Poulin was wounded while walking through Times Square with his family. He was shot in the back near the Marriott Marquis on Broadway around 5:15 p.m.
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Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told NBC New York that he was with his wife, his sister and his brother-in-law when he was struck by a bullet that came from a fight between two men. A family member removed the bullet, that investigators said was not intended for Poulin, and handed it over to police. The Marine is expected to recover; no one else was hurt in the shooting.
It took place not far from where another gunman opened fire and also injured innocent bystanders almost two months ago.
And after having two bystanders wounded by gunfire in the heart of Times Square, the mayor later unveiled a new program to address what he describes as an "unacceptable state of affairs" regarding gun violence.
News
Police previously said the suspect was seen fleeing the scene eastbound on 45th Street toward 6th Avenue following the shooting.
The gun violence has left tourists and locals alike on edge, with the gunfire marked the second daytime shooting in Times Square in two months.
Three bystanders were struck by gunfire in May, including a 4-year-old child. The alleged gunman responsible for the May shooting was apprehended days later in Florida after fleeing the city.
Acknowledging the need to make the Crossroads of the World safer, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled what he called the Times Square Safety Action Plan. That plan involves deploying another 50-plus officers to the area and increasing enforcement of illegal vending connected to gun violence, de Blasio said.
"Anyone who goes here will know they are safe," the mayor added. He said the stepped-up NYPD deployment began Sunday after the shooting and will continue.
"After this shooting and the shooting we had a couple weeks ago, it's very important that we put a lot more of a police presence over there," NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said at the mayor's Monday press conference.
