SoHo shooting leaves 16-year-old dead, police searching for suspect on Citi Bike
NEW YORK -- A teenager was shot and killed in New York City's SoHo neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
It happened around 2:30 p.m. in the Urban Plaza area between Spring and Dominick streets.
SoHo shooting victim identified as Mahki Brown
Police identified the victim as 16-year-old Mahki Brown, of Brooklyn, who attended Broome Street Academy Charter High School just a block away from the scene.
The shooting took place in a quiet courtyard on a beautiful spring day in a typically safe neighborhood that hasn't reported a shooting in more than 16 months.
Police said it appears an argument broke out between groups around school dismissal time.
Shots were fired, and Brown was hit once in the head and twice in the leg. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died. It's unclear if he was the intended target.
Police say they are searching for two suspects, including the gunman got away on a Citi Bike.
Gun violence in NYC
"I'm from the Bronx. This happens every day, you know? So I don't really, I don't know, I guess I'm numb to it as a spectator right now, but it's sad, man. Especially when the kid's already in school. It's not like they're out here all day with nothing to do. They already have a schedule," Bronx resident Tyre Singleton said.
"Too many guns on the street. Too many kids that get access to guns. It's not just here, it's all over the city ... Really never usually happens in SoHo," SoHo resident Thomas Libonati said.
According to NYPD data obtained by CBS New York, there weren't any shootings in the First Precinct last year. Tuesday afternoon's shooting is the only shooting so far this year.
CBS New York asked the NYPD for data prior to 2023 to see when the last shooting in the area took place, but they didn't have that information available at the time.
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.