Gun violence hits too close to home once again, after police say beef between two groups outside of Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store quickly turned into a shootout on the street early Wednesday morning— just south of the Upper East Side.
“It’s terrible. Innocent people could have been injured,” said John, who spoke to our news partners FreedomNews.tv shortly after the shooting.
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Investigators say it was just before 4:00 am outside the popular store— whose glass cube entrance sits at the corner of East 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown— when a dispute escalated, one person pulled a gun and started shooting.
Everyone scattered from the gunshots, according to police, but one person in a group that ran east pulled a pistol of their own and fired back at the first shooter— who had fled south on Fifth Avenue.
“It’s lucky it was in the middle of the night, imagine what would have happened if it were in daytime and there were people walking around on the street, could have been some fatalities,” John said.
NYPD officers and scene investigators combed the sidewalks and street overnight, searching for bullet casings and gathering evidence outside the popular store.
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Thankfully, no one was struck by the gunfire and no injuries were reported, police say.
“I’m really disheartened about what happened on this street. This is one of my favorite parts of New York City,” said Shannon, who was shocked to come across the crime scene while walking her dog early Wednesday morning.
“It makes me very sad,” she added.
“I feel like New York City really needs to be strong.”
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