Flying bullets ‘not on my itinerary’: Tourists react to Times Square shooting – New York Post

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Tourists visiting Times Square on Monday expressed fears for their safety — and the city’s future — following the second shooting there in as many months.

“Worrying about getting killed in a crossfire was not on my itinerary when I booked this trip with my girlfriends — especially while touring the biggest attraction,” said Pat Flanagan of Cleveland.

“It’s actually more sad than scary because I want to see New York pick up again.”

Flanagan, 44, added: “Crime can be controlled if you control it. New York learned how to do it in the past, so why not now? It’s got the biggest police department in the country and it can’t stop people from firing guns in Times Square?”

“Right now, tourism is making a comeback after COVID,” she said.

“Don’t kill it by letting crime run rampant.”

Police at the scene of a shooting near 45th St. and seventh Avenue in Times Square
Police at the scene of a shooting near 45th St. and 7th Avenue in Times Square.
William C. Lopez/NYPOST

Retired teacher Arthur Escalera of Harrisburg, Penn., who was vacationing with his wife, said Sunday’s shooting made it seem like “you’re in a city that’s lost the power to police itself.”

“We remember Times Square the way it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and if we had tickets to a Broadway show we would consider it a sort of walk on the wild side to walk down 42nd Street at night,” he said.

“But we never feared for our lives. Getting mugged was a fear, but death by a stray bullet? Never.”

Police patrol in Times Square following another daytime shooting yesterday in the popular tourist destination on June 28, 2021
Police patrol in Times Square following another daytime shooting yesterday in the popular tourist destination on June 28, 2021.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meghan Nash, a dental hygienist from Charlotte, N.C. — who’s staying at a Hampton Inn just blocks from the scene of Sunday’s shooting — was unaware of the incident until learning about it from a reporter.

“That’s insane. That’s really terrible,” said Nash, 30.

The NYPD released additional footage of the suspect.
The NYPD released additional footage of the suspect.
DCPI

“I knew crime was up but I didn’t think things had gotten so bad that people were firing guns in Times Square.”

Nash added, “I probably would have picked a different destination. I really just wanted to have fun, not worry about getting randomly killed by a stray bullet.”

Source Article from https://nypost.com/2021/06/28/tourists-react-to-times-square-shooting/

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