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Upper West Side shooting leaves 1 injured, causes delays in subway system during search for gunman

Upper West Side shooting sends bystanders scrambling for cover
Upper West Side shooting sends bystanders scrambling for cover 02:22

Editor's note: The suspect was taken into custody Friday morning, police said. Below is our report from Thursday night. 

NEW YORK -- A shooting in New York City's Upper West Side caused major delays on multiple subway lines Thursday.

Police said a 47-year-old owner of a computer repair store was shot in the leg and shoulder at around 9:20 a.m. by West 69th Street and Columbus Avenue. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital and is expected to be OK.

Sources say the victim was the former boss of the shooter and that the ex-employee left his job about two months ago. Witnesses said a fight broke out between the men and not long after shots rang out.

Sources say the gunman, who was last seen wearing a blue hoodie, green jacket and tan hat, fled into the subway system at the 72nd Street station with a firearm, prompting a manhunt and service changes.

Surveillance video shows a man matching police's description of the alleged gunman carrying a bag that appears to be holding the gun. He walks into the business, and seconds later, he walks out with the owner behind him.

As of Thursday night, the suspect remained at large.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene

Witnesses told CBS News New York they heard roughly a dozen gunshots, and the window of a bus stop was shattered. A nearby school was briefly placed under a shelter-in-place, but the order was later lifted.

"I heard like 15 loud bangs," resident Robert Consivine said.

"I thought it was scaffolding coming down from an apartment," resident Jan Bronson said.

"I was actually half asleep and I heard 10 gunshots, about. And then we heard whelping, like crying, screaming, and then we heard a bunch of sirens," one witness said. 

"When I heard the shots, I thought, I can't believe that would be gunfire, because in this neighborhood, you don't hear that kind of stuff," another person added. "But here it is, bus station blown apart."

Surveillance video shows people on the street running. Some innocent bystanders took shelter inside businesses.

"All the rest of my customers, they were going to the back of the place," business owner Edmondo Tuautle said. "In this scene, you panic, of course. You don't know what to do."

One bullet pierced the door of an apartment building.

"We just moved into this building a month and a half ago, thinking it was a really safe area," resident Leslie Granados said.

"You always see stuff on the news and everything, and then when it's right in front of your own house, it's a little different, obviously," another resident said.

According to NYPD data, shootings have increased 200% in the 20th Precinct, with six people shot this year compared to two at this time last year.

A/C/B/D/E trains all impacted

C trains were temporarily suspended in both directions and A and D trains were severely impacted, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Service was restored with delays shortly before noon, the MTA said.

Get the latest service changes straight from the MTA here.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website.

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