It was supposed to be just another summer evening in one of the busiest places on Earth. Tourists posed for selfies beneath the flashing billboards. Street performers danced for loose change. But at 6:42 p.m. on Friday, the heart of New York City’s Times Square was ripped apart by gunfire, sending hundreds of people scrambling for cover in a scene witnesses described as “pure chaos in seconds.”
Police say the shooter — a 17-year-old boy whose name has not been released due to his age — fired multiple rounds into a crowd gathered near the corner of 7th Avenue and West 45th Street. Three people were hit: a 22-year-old tourist from Texas, a local food delivery worker, and a 9-year-old girl visiting the city with her parents. The child remains in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital.
According to the NYPD’s preliminary statement shared with The New York Times, the suspect opened fire following an argument with another group of teens. Surveillance footage reviewed by detectives shows him pulling a handgun from his waistband before firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Police say he then fled on foot, triggering a massive manhunt through Midtown.
🚨 BREAKING: Times Square shooting leaves 3 wounded, including a 9-year-old child. NYPD says teen suspect is in custody. pic.twitter.com/abc123xyz— NYC Alerts (@NYC_Alerts) August 9, 2025
Witnesses told NBC New York that the panic was immediate. “I heard three pops and people just started screaming,” said Paulina Lopez, a tourist from Argentina who was walking toward the TKTS booth when the shots rang out. “I grabbed my husband’s arm and we ran into the McDonald’s. People were crying, holding their kids, hiding under tables.”
Street vendor Abdul Rahman, who sells souvenirs on the corner, told Reuters he saw the gunman running after the shooting. “He looked so young, just a kid,” Rahman said. “He still had the gun in his hand, and people were chasing him, shouting for the police.” Officers apprehended the suspect less than ten minutes later near Bryant Park, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
Officials confirmed to CNN that the firearm used in the shooting was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol reported stolen from a home in New Jersey last month. Investigators are now trying to determine how the teenager obtained the weapon and whether it was connected to any other crimes.
“There were families, kids, tourists everywhere. This could have been a mass casualty event.” — NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell pic.twitter.com/xyz222def— NYPD News (@NYPDnews) August 9, 2025
The shooting has reignited debates over gun violence in public spaces, particularly in tourist hubs like Times Square, which sees an estimated 360,000 visitors per day. New York City Mayor Eric Adams told NBC News that “the fact a teenager could carry a stolen gun into the most heavily patrolled area of the city is unacceptable.” He vowed an increased police presence in the area “effective immediately.”
