HORROR IN NYC: Woman, 20, SHOT DEAD execution-style as she pushed her 3-month-old baby in stroller
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A young woman was killed while pushing with her 3-month-old baby in a stroller on Wednesday, June 29, on an Upper East Side street, police and law enforcement sources said. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the incident happened on Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street around 8:25 pm, as reported by the NY Post.
As per the preliminary investigation, the 20-year-old victim was pushing a 3-month-old baby in a stroller when a man, wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, walked up from behind and shot the woman once in the head at point-blank range. The toddler was unharmed. However, the woman became unconscious at the scene. She was rushed to Metropolitan Hospital where she was pronounced dead about an hour later, authorities said.
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The gunman, dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants, fled up East 95th street on foot, according to police. He was still being sought by police late Wednesday, June 29, police said. The name of the woman was not released. New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a news conference late Wednesday, June 29 night, that the victim was pushing the stroller when the male suspect approached and "fired a single shot into her head from a very close range."
The motive behind the fatal shooting is not known yet. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also spoke at the news conference, noting the "problem of the over-proliferation of guns on our streets." "When a woman is pushing a baby carriage down the block and is shot at point-blank range, it shows just how this national problem is impacting families," Adams said. "It doesn't matter if you are on the Upper East Side, or East New York, Brooklyn. The oversaturation of guns endangers people," he added.
The fatal shooting occurred close to Samuel Seabury Playground and a 10-year-old girl playing at the park told The Post she mistook the gunfire for fireworks. “Then I realized there was a gunshot. And it really frightened me because I was right there at the park playing and I never would have thought this would have happened,” the girl, who identified herself as Gabriella, said.
At the media briefing, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell urged “anyone who has information that can help us with this investigation” to call authorities.
Mayor Adams vowed the gunman would be tracked down and arrested.
“We’re going to find this person that is guilty of this horrific crime,” Adams said. “We’re going to find him and bring him to justice. We just need the justice system to make sure this innocent person receives that justice that we’re asking for,” he added.
In a tweet, Adams wrote, "We lost a 20 year old woman on the Upper East Side tonight. She was pushing a stroller when a gunman took her life. More guns in our city means more lives lost. It means more babies crying as those who love them lie dead. We cannot allow this epidemic to keep claiming lives."
We lost a 20 year old woman on the Upper East Side tonight.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 30, 2022
She was pushing a stroller when a gunman took her life.
More guns in our city means more lives lost. It means more babies crying as those who love them lie dead.
We cannot allow this epidemic to keep claiming lives.
Councilwoman Julie Menin said in a tweet, “To think that this incident happened in front of a school with a mother pushing her baby in a stroller is beyond comprehension. My prayers are with the victim’s family. This tragedy is simply unspeakable and this violence must stop.”
To think that this incident happened in front of a school with a mother pushing her baby in a stroller is beyond comprehension. My prayers are with the victim’s family. This tragedy is simply unspeakable and this violence must stop.
— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) June 30, 2022
Adrienne Adams, NYC Council speaker, wrote, "An unspeakable tragedy tonight in @KeithPowersNYC + @JulieMenin' districts. My heart is with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire community. Preventing this violence must be our focus, and it's essential that we support victims' recovery after these horrifying incidents."
An unspeakable tragedy tonight in @KeithPowersNYC + @JulieMenin' districts. My heart is with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire community. Preventing this violence must be our focus, and it's essential that we support victims' recovery after these horrifying incidents.
— Adrienne Adams (@NYCSpeakerAdams) June 30, 2022