Shots Fired Near NYU Brooklyn Campus

Shots rang out near MetroTech Center on Tuesday, October 4th. The shooting occurred close to the New York University Downtown Brooklyn Campus. According to the police and witnesses, a group of young men were involved in an argument before the shooting began near Bridge Street. A number of shots were fired, with police citing at least five bullet casings found on the scene. The shooting led to the NYU Security Campus tweeting, “If you are in the area: Run, Hide, or Fight. Others stay away. Help is on the way.”

There is no indication that the incident was NYU related, according to a representative of the university. No injuries were reported however, police officials indicated that local medical centers and hospitals would be canvassed for possible injuries related to the shooting.

The incident occurred in an area with several public schools, causing the schools in close vicinity to shelter-in. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and out of an abundance of caution, these schools went into a brief shelter-in due to reports of an off-campus incident,” Department of Education representative Jenna Lyle said. “The shelter-in has now been lifted.”

The area was secured by police units within half an hour after the incident occurred.

A witness who works in the area where the shooting occurred recounted events that led to the incident. “I was in the Port-a-Potty… and then three seconds it’s like yo, yo, boom, boom, boom,” said Jarrett Richardson, an electrician. “Just one after the other — and you know it was not fireworks. It just sounded like your typical hood interaction,” Richardson added. “There was yelling, it was quick.”

The area in which the shooting took place has a reputation for similar incidents. Arunagiri Ravichandran, a student at NYU called on the university to improve campus security. “I think they should get more safety knowing that it’s right near a university and there’s a school right there,” Ravichandran said.