Retired NYPD detective shot in Harlem, 1 other injured

NEW YORK -- A retired NYPD detective was one of two men shot in Harlem on Tuesday morning.

Police say he wasn't the intended target but was caught between the shooter and the person they were after.

Crime scene investigators spent the day collecting evidence at the scene on Lenox Avenue, leaving no stone unturned.

"It just kinda feels really surreal to be this close to something like this," said Cindy Elizabeth, from Austin, Texas.

Shell casings litter the street and sidewalk in front of the Harlem Smoke Shop.

Police say the former detective -- now an investigative consultant for the Administration for Children's Services -- was a block away from work when he got caught in the gunfire.

"Young people are going to schools, families are moving about, taking children to daycare, and we're seeing shots fired. It's a problem," said Lesha Sekou, with Street Corner Resources.

The 60-year-old was hit in the chest. Police believe a 21-year-old was the intended target. That man was grazed in the neck during the shooting.

Police have released surveillance photos of two individuals wanted in connection to the shooting.

"It's hard to live in fear, and I feel like sometimes it feels like that, that you're living in fear," said Ena Ganguley, from Austin, Texas.

Both victims are currently listed in stable condition. Volunteers from Street Corner Resources visited the victims at Harlem Hospital. Sekou says the former civil servant was in good spirits.

"He was smiling and talking with his family. It was just good to see him smiling," he said.

ACS released a statement thanking first responders and hospital staff for taking care of their staff member.

Meanwhile, police are still looking for three males who took off on foot.  

In:
• Harlem
• NYPD