NYPD: DOE employee shot in the head outside deli in Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- A young Department of Education employee was shot in the head moments after leaving a school in Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon.
As CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported, he remains in critical condition at the hospital.
Police say the 19-year-old was shot right outside a bodega on Avenue M that's a block from the school where he worked and where children were. The shooter is still on the run.
Video shows a school bus driving on Avenue M, and moments later you see what appears to be the suspect running, a reminder of how close the shooting was to a school.
"Everybody was panicked because a lot of kids was outside," one man said.
That man was picking up his daughter from another school when gunshots rang out.
"About three to four bullets from what I heard because I was coming from this way," the man said.
Police say the shooting happened around 2:50 p.m. The victim, who walking on Avenue M toward Utica Avenue, was believed to be targeted, adding the gunman fired at least four rounds from across the street, with one striking the victim in the head.
"It's shocking because nothing like this happens out here," resident Lafilleca Pierre said.
Even more shocking for Pierre is police say the victim, a substitute paraprofessional, had just left his job at Public School 203, when he was shot.
"To hear that a 19-year-old, someone coming out of the school, gets shot, is sad," Pierre said. "You have kids coming outside and they watch this. Now you have to explain to kids tomorrow."
City School Chancellor David Banks released the following statement:
"I am absolutely heartbroken and outraged that one of our dedicated employees was senselessly a victim of random gun violence. Our educators, our students, and our families deserve better than living with the threat of gun violence. I am in contact with the school's principal and will ensure that the students have the counseling services they need as they grapple with this tragedy, and will be working with the NYPD to increase security around the school," Banks said.
Police say the shooter was last seen wearing a red hoodie, red sweatpants, a red do-rag, and a black coat with fur on the collar.
A motive for the shooting is still unclear.
"If you see a crime happen, you have to call. We have to support. This is a community. We're tired, I am tired. As a parent, myself, a 19-year-old working, this one is working. He was doing the right thing," City Council member Mercedes Narcisse said.
After the victim was shot, he stumbled into the deli, police said.
He remains in critical condition at Brookdale Hospital.
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.
