Editor’s note: During a Tuesday briefing on the initial shooting, police gave the victim’s age as 16. In a later, written update, they clarified that the victim is 17. The story below has been updated to reflect this.
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MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Three people were injured, including two teens, in multiple shootings in Manhattan Tuesday, one of which is believed to be gang-related, police said.
A 17-year-old boy was struck multiple times on Amsterdam Avenue and West 68th Street, three blocks from Martin Luther King High School, just before 10 a.m., according to the NYPD. The boy was taken to the hospital to undergo surgery.
A 19-year-old man with three prior arrests was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered, police said. The suspect allegedly hailed a yellow taxi after the incident and was nabbed a block later, police said.
The motive for the shooting remained unclear.
Amsterdam Avenue from 65th to 68th streets was shut down while authorities investigated the crime scene. There were bullet casings marking three scenes being monitored by police.
Then just before 1 p.m., a 16-year-old boy and a man, 27, were shot in the vicinity of East 125th Street and Madison Avenue, according to the NYPD. Police said four students had just left Renaissance High School when they were confronted by three men and a fight ensued before shots rang out.
The victims were both shot in the leg and taken to the hospital in serious condition, officials said. Authorities said the teen was the intended target and the incident is believed to be gang-related.
The suspects fled after the incident.
A third shooting occurred near 105th Street and Park Avenue around 2:30 p.m., but no other details were immediately available.
Police believe the three shootings are connected because they happened near schools and the ages of the victims, officials said. The NYPD initiated a Level 2 Mobilization, pulling multiple resources from other commands to tamp down the gun violence, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said during a briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re going to flood this area” with police, Chell said. The NYPD will also step up security at schools on Wednesday, officials said.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
