What to Know
- A shooting outside a popular restaurant in New York City's Upper East Side has left a man injured and sent diners running for their lives on Wednesday.
- Police say the gunman appeared to have targeted two men dining outdoors at high-end Chinese restaurant Phillipe Chow on East 60th Street. Shots were fired around 10:30 p.m. and a bullet struck a 28-year-old man in the leg. He was transported to Cornell Hospital where he's expected to recover, police said.
- According to police, the 28-year-old man was the only victim injured in the chaos, adding that because of his criminal background, this may have been a targeted attack.
A shooting outside a popular restaurant in New York City's Upper East Side left a man injured and sent diners running for their lives Wednesday night.
Police say the gunman appeared to have targeted two men dining outdoors at high-end Chinese restaurant Phillipe Chow on East 60th Street. Shots were fired around 10:30 p.m. and a bullet struck a 28-year-old plumber from the Bronx in the leg. He was transported to Cornell Hospital where he's expected to recover, police said.
According to police, the man was the only victim injured in the chaos, adding that because of his criminal background, this may have been a targeted attack.
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The violence initially began as a robbery, according to police sources. A man in his 30s had his Rolex stolen but another man put up a fight and the shooting ensued.
Surveillance video showed the moment a BMW SUV pulled up to the restaurant, with two alleged robbers getting out of the vehicle, eyeing two couples dining outside. A .9 millimeter gun was left at the scene.
No arrests have been made but police said the men in their 20s fled the scene in a blue sedan heading eastbound. Police on Thursday said they are worried the brazen robbery may be part of a pattern, saying that they are looking into "other familiar similar patterns in the precinct."
Local
Within in the past month, a Chelsea man and his girlfriend had $4 million worth of jewelry stolen from them after leaving trendy restaurant Tao. A few days after that incident, a man leaving Pergola on 28th Street had $100,000 in jewelry taken.
On Thursday, Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams dined at the restaurant, snacking on lettuce wrapes and other Asian fare at the exact table where the victim was shot less than 24 hours prior. He aimed to reassure people that the city is safe — but also touted his plan to bring back a controversial NYPD unit.
"We need to reinstitute our anti-gun unit, plainclothes unit to go out to target the gangs and guns, and get them off our streets," Adams said.
