Shots fired near NYU Brooklyn campus
An alert sent to the NYU community just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday reported that shots were fired near the university’s Brooklyn campus.
(Augustin Langlet for WSN)
October 4, 2022
Shots were reported near 2 MetroTech Center on NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering campus in Brooklyn, according to an email and text alert sent to members of the NYU community shortly before 11 a.m. At around 11:20 a.m., another NYU alert said the area is all clear.
The New York City Police Department is investigating the incident and nobody was injured, according to university spokesperson John Beckman. He added that there is not evidence to suggest that the incident was related to NYU.
“We have since heard from the police department that there is no ongoing threat; we are advising our community of that update, and letting them know they can resume normal activity,” Beckman wrote to WSN. “We are also reminding our community about the availability of counseling services for students and employees.”
Fountain Walker, who leads NYU’s Campus Safety Department, noted that there may be an increased police presence in the area for some time in a communication to students and staff at the Brooklyn campus sent at 11:40 a.m. He also said that he would advise the community further when more information is available.
NYPD officers confirmed that shots were fired, according to the Citizen app, which monitors community safety using crowdsourced information and live videos. As of 11:07 a.m., an individual who called 911 reported that an armed man was still present near the building.
The initial 911 call reported five shots fired, and officers said that they recovered bullet shell casings. The area is being shut down, and police units have been requested to block traffic at the intersection of Duffield Street and Bridge Street.
A witness reported that they saw between eight and 10 men running away from the scene, and officers said that the group fled west on Bridge Street, according to Citizen.
During the fall 2021 semester, an NYU student was shot in the arm outside of 5 MetroTech Center. The student was hospitalized, but fully recovered and returned to class days later. In January, the alleged perpetrator — a 17-year-old gang member — was arrested and indicted along with 16 other alleged members of his gang, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
This is a developing story.
Contact Abby Wilson at [email protected].
