1 KILLED, 3 WOUNDED
Bullets fly outside Bronx eatery; gunman on the loose
One man died and three were wounded when a gunman sprayed bullets outside a Bronx fast food restaurant on Friday afternoon, police and witnesses said.
Cops took one person of interest into custody inside a nearby building, said police sources. That person’s connection to the case was not immediately clear.
The bullets flew outside a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at E. Tremont Ave. and Hughes Ave. in Tremont around 2:30 p.m., cops and sources said.
“The fight was outside the store. There were at least four shots, maybe more,” said Popeyes clerk Abdurhan Shabbir, 28. “There were shells all over the sidewalk.”
Video from the scene obtained by the Daily News clearly shows one shooter. A second man who appears to be armed also shows up in the video, but it’s unclear if he got off any shots.
“One man was lying on the ground shot and bleeding,” Shabbir said. “Another guy ran into the store holding his back saying he was shot.”
Officers arrived to find a 24-year-old man in cardiac arrest with a gunshot wound to his chest, sources said.
Medics rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Another man was in critical condition at St. Barnabas with a gunshot wound to his torso, sources said.
Also at the hospital were a 58-year-old man struck in the buttocks and a 36-year-old man shot in the ankle. Both were expected to survive, the sources said.
Shabbir, a Bangladeshi immigrant who has only been on the job for a few weeks, said he was frightened by the bloody scene.
“I got afraid and ran into the back of the store. It was the first time I ever saw anybody shot,” Shabbir said. “I’ve only been in the country five months. I want to go home.”
Police were searching for the gunman, described as a Hispanic man with long hair and wearing an olive checkered shirt and gray sweatpants. Officers also sought a second person sources described as the gunman’s male accomplice.
The hunt for suspects continued on Friday evening.