A 15-year-old Venezuelan migrant was arrested after allegedly shooting a tourist and firing at a police officer in Times Square, New York City.
The incident occurred during a shoplifting attempt with classmates, leading to the injury of a Brazilian tourist.
The suspect, who had entered the U.S. in September 2023, was also linked to prior criminal activities.
The NYPD faced scrutiny over tracking crimes by recent migrants and gangs, with officials acknowledging a trend of Venezuelan criminal gangs in NYC.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said, “The shooting incident last night in Times Square was way beyond reckless.”
“Considering where these shootings took place, it’s an actual miracle that we’re not having a different conversation right now,” he continued.
“We track crime throughout the whole city,” explained the commissioner.
“We monitor every gang in this city,” added NYPD Deputy Chief Jason Savino.
NYPD Chief John Chell said, “We’re not going to broad-brush a whole migrant community as being bad people…but we’re not gonna put up with this.”
“We’ve seen it, it’s a trend,” he added.
Despite the incident, they emphasized the city’s overall safety and their efforts to maintain community security.
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