A 21-year-old hospitalized man is in stable condition after he was shot in the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx on Thursday afternoon, police said. A second man was also shot, officials said.

 

The incident occurred at White Plains Road and East 219th Street subway station on Thursday afternoon, May 11, underneath the elevated train tracks of the 219th Street Subway Station.

A police spokeswoman told Norwood News on Thursday, based on a preliminary police report, “At around 13.45 this afternoon, we have a 21-year-old male….looks like he was shot at.. in the leg and he was taken to Montefiore Hospital by private means in stable condition.”

 

The spokeswoman said the investigation showed the shooting occurred near White Plains Road and 219th Street in the 47th Precinct, where a section of White Plains Road was seen cordoned off by police on Thursday afternoon, though the subway station itself remained open.

The spokeswoman said there were no arrests and the investigation remained ongoing.

 

As reported, police said on Friday, May 12, that a second person had also been shot during the course of the incident.

 

Six small cone markers were seen on White Plains Road inside the area cordoned off by police, apparently marking the locations of the bullets fired. Detectives were seen at the scene interviewing residents and investigating the incident.

 

Norwood News spoke to one local male store employee, who declined to be identified, and asked him what he knew of the incident. He said he heard the gunshots but didn’t see what occurred. “I didn’t know what happened,” he said. “I didn’t see it. People running and [inaudible]. Then I came down here [to the street level of the store] and everything then calmed down, but here people running. Things are crazy.”

Asked how many gunshots he heard, he said, “About three. Yeah, definitely.” He added that the situation was scary, though he said he did not see anyone injured. “I see just people running, you know?” Asked if he saw or heard a car speed away, he said, “No, definitely.”

 

He later added that it was “good” to have the police around, and added that there hadn’t been a shooting in the area for a long time.

 

We also spoke to another young female employee of a local White Plains Road business close to the shooting location, who also declined to be identified, about what she knew of the incident. “I just was at the deli [next door to where she worked],” she said. “I was getting my coffee, and then coming over here, I heard people yelling, and I heard the shots.”

Asked how many shots, she said she thought she heard five or six. She said she was already back inside her workplace when she heard the rounds go off. Asked if she had been scared, she said, “Yeah, a little bit.”

 

Asked if she had hid behind the counter, she said, “No.” The young woman added that she didn’t see what happened, and that a short time later the police arrived.

 

Another female employee of a local business, who also declined to be identified, said the business had been full at the time the shooting occurred. She said she heard three shots, that she and her colleagues then closed the door but didn’t hide. She said they then waited for the police to arrive, and added that neither she nor her colleagues heard any arguments.

Another male store owner in the area who also declined to be identified, also said he heard shots fired but didn’t see anything. Asked how many shots he heard, speaking in Spanish, he said, “Approximately like three or four.’

 

He added, “Afterwards, there were at least two young males who left the location running.” Asked in which direction, he indicated west down 219th Street, away from White Plains Road. Asked if he saw anyone injured, he said, “Not to his knowledge.” Asked if the police arrived soon after the shooting, the man said “Approximately 4 to 5 minutes afterwards.”

Another store employee, who also declined to be identified, said he heard four to five gunshots  but was busy inside his store when the shooting took place and did not see what happened.

 

Another store employee in the vicinity of the shooting said he had just arrived at work 30 minutes before we spoke to him and therefore, did not know what had happened.

 

Another male employee of another store in the vicinity of 219th Street said he heard maybe 10 shots but didn’t see what happened and didn’t recall the exact time of the incident.

We also spoke to a local couple from the area who were standing outside one of the nearby stores watching the police investigate the scene. They also declined to be identified and said they did not witness the shooting. Of the incident, the man said, “It’s a regular occurrence. Ain’t nothin’ new in this neighborhood. It’s a drive-by shooting, you see, look… It’s a drive-by shooting.”

 

The man’s companion said, “It’s not new, but I was surprised when I saw it.” The woman then said she lamented times when the neighborhood was a “happy place.”

 

Police did not have any further information about the investigation as regards whether it was a drive by shooting or not. We asked if the shooting took place inside a vehicle as there did not appear to be any blood on the street anywhere, just the markers and a white piece of plastic that looked like part of a plastic barrier or railing perhaps. The same police spokeswoman said she couldn’t say as she didn’t have any further information at the time we called.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.

 

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story referred to a 25-year-old victim in the headline, and also referred to the incident occurring in Wakefield rather than in Williamsbridge. One of the victims was 21 and there is also a second victim, as subsequently confirmed by police. This story has since been updated. We apologize for these errors.