NYPD: Man fatally shot following argument on Upper West Side
NEW YORK -- In another round of gun violence in the city, police say a man was shot and killed on the Upper West Side on Sunday.
As CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported, the victim was found in a white Mercedes on 102nd Street. Police said he was shot following a dispute, possibly over a woman.
The incident happened the day after Mayor Eric Adams had a big meeting with police leaders about combating crime.
Steps from a playground and a soccer field, the NYPD's Crime Scene Unit surrounded the SUV with shattered windows and Virginia license plates.
Police said 27-year-old Ronald Thomas of Glen Allen, Virginia was found shot in the head inside inside the vehicle on the street near Amsterdam Avenue. Neighbors said they head five to six gunshots at around noon. Police said the suspect fled the scene.
"This is sad, man. It wasn't like this before," one person said.
The dead end street is in the heart of NYCHA's Frederick Douglass Houses and Carmen Quinones, the tenant association president, told Rozner she spoke with the victim's family.
"They from out of town. It was a spat, an argument, and somebody came and shot him. That's all I know," Quinones said.
"They don't know how to have a dispute without killing somebody. Life is not valued anymore, so, yeah, I don't feel as safe as I used to and I've lived here for 22 years," another neighbor said.
"I take my dog through a walk there most days and when I saw it I was coming outside to sit in the sun with my dog and all the street was taped off, so, you know, I didn't feel safe sitting outside," another added.
The violence came less than 24 hours after Mayor Adams met with commanding officers from all 77 police precincts to discuss strategies to combat crime.
Starting Sunday, every borough is getting a violence reduction coordinator. And in 40 precincts citywide, the plan was to add more officers and modify shifts to start three hours earlier.
"I am worried because things are happening all over the city," Upper West Side resident Amy Schwarz said.