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Times Square shooting injures 3 including girl, 4, officials slammed as 'chicken sh*t' over lack of gun reform

'The only solution is to hire more cops and pass tougher gun control laws,' said a user

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: Two women and a four-year-old girl were shot in Times Square, New York City, near the Minskoff theater where 'Lion King' was playing on Saturday afternoon. The NYPD said it was looking for a person of interest who fled the scene.

Two to four men got into a fight, according to witnesses. According to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, at least one pulled out a gun and shot people: the girl, who was toy shopping with her family, a 23-year-old female tourist from Rhode Island, and a 46-year-old woman from New Jersey,

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According to the New York Police Department, the shooting happened around 5 pm ET at 44th Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The child, 4, and the tourist were shot in the leg, while the older woman was shot in her foot, Shea said in a news conference. All the victims were innocent bystanders not known to one another and that all were taken to Bellevue Hospital and were expected to survive.

The inquiry was already underway. As police investigated, a section of Times Square was closed. The NYPD posted video footage of a suspect a few hours later. Shea said that he had "no doubt" the perpetrator would be apprehended soon. Three shell casings that seemed to be 2.5 caliber were recovered.

Buildings were also evacuated hours later, and people were barricaded inside shops in some cases as the investigation proceeded. As police investigate, Times Square has been fully shut down. It will reopen Saturday night, according to Shea, reported the New York CBS Local.

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, "Thankfully, these innocent bystanders are in stable condition. The perpetrators of this senseless violence are being tracked down and the NYPD will bring them to justice. The flood of illegal guns into our city must stop."

People took to Twitter demanding better gun laws. "Wow there was a shooting in times square, the most cop-saturated place in the nation in a city with the most stringent gun control laws ever. the only solution is to hire more cops and pass tougher gun control laws," said a Twitter user.

"This afternoon, so far, there was a shooting in a mall in South Florida and another shooting in Times Square. In other words, just another Saturday in America. The time for gun reform in now. Actually, it was decades ago, but some of our elected officials are too chicken s**t," said another.

"Today’s shooting in Times Square should be a wake up call. This administration has turned a blind eye to the surge in crime citywide. We need leadership that will work with the police & get NYC back on track. That’s exactly what I intend to do in the City Council. @NYCPBA," said Tony Avella, candidate for NYC Council 19th District.

Anyone with details about this incident is urged to contact the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or 1-888-577-4782 in Spanish. Tips can also be sent online at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com or via the NYPDTips Twitter account.