Death invaded New York City’s Upper East Side Wednesday night as a 20-year-old woman was shot to death while pushing her three-month-old baby in a stroller.
The baby was unharmed in the 8:30 p.m. attack, in which a man approached the woman from behind and shot her once in the back of the head at point-blank range at Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street, according to the New York Post.
The woman was found unconscious but alive. She died in Metropolitan Hospital about an hour after she was found. She was not identified.
The suspect was wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants. Police said he fled the scene on foot. He had not been identified or found as of early Thursday.
I lived in The City Formerly Known as New York for 15 years.
NEVER would I have imagined something like this happening in the UPPER EAST SIDE of Manhattan, one of the most affluent areas of the city. https://t.co/PS64jwzjpx
— Clifton Duncan (She/Her) (@cliftonaduncan) June 30, 2022
“When a mother’s pushing a baby carriage down the block … and is shot at point-blank range — this shows just how this national problem is impacting families and doesn’t matter if you are on the Upper East Side or East New York, Brooklyn,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
WNBC-TV reported that police are investigating whether the suspect had a relationship with the woman or could be the father of the child.
Has violence inundated New York City?
Stephanie McGraw, the founder of We All Really Matter, a Harlem-based group in support of domestic violence victims, was within the crime scene tape Wednesday night, according to The New York Times.
McGraw did not elaborate on why she was there, but said domestic abuse might be involved.
“You don’t just randomly shoot a woman with a small child point blank in the head,” McGraw said. “That’s rage.”
A 20-year-old woman was shot to death while pushing a 3-month-old baby in a stroller on New York City’s Upper East Side on Wednesday night. @reevewill reports. https://t.co/LXtgZXhrho pic.twitter.com/nrldMkNhTd
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 30, 2022
WABC-TV spoke to a 10-year-old girl it called a witness.
“I just heard a huge noise. It was just one, but it was extremely loud, like, ‘Boom!’” the child, whose name was not used, said.
“I seen a lot of people running, and then I saw a few people. Like, I saw a woman down there, she fell. And at first I thought, ‘Is she OK?’ And then I saw people calling 911 and cops pull up,” she said.
Police are asking for help finding the suspect.
“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 … to make sure that innocent person receives that justice.”
According to NY1, Adams cited criminal justice reforms and restraints impeding law enforcement for the increase in gun crimes.
