Search on for gunman who shot man during attempted Upper West Side robbery
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for a gunman after a tourist from Denmark was shot and hospitalized during an attempted robbery early Sunday morning on the Upper West Side.
The NYPD removed the crime scene tape, but blood stains remained on the sidewalk along West End Avenue near 103rd Street, where the attempted robbery escalated, CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
The 31-year-old victim was walking at around 3:40 a.m. when a man approached him, flashed a gun and asked for money. The victim said he didn't have any and walked away, but the suspect shot him in the lower back.
"I heard a pop, like firecrackers, so I looked out the windows, but I didn't notice anything right away. But when I saw the police cars around, I noticed a man on the ground on the other side of the street," a witness said.
The victim was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The suspect was still on the run.
News of the shooting had people who live in the neighborhood feeling uneasy, especially since police have been warning them about citywide mugging patterns.
It was not immediately clear if this crime is related to others.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.