More On:
times square
Bill de Blasio’s NYC is a dark blast from the past: Devine
Cost of left’s anti-anti-crime folly: 4-year-old shot in Times Square
‘I have a baby myself’: Hero cop recalls dash with Times Square victim
Sources reveal suspected Times Square shooter’s intended target
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday shunted blame for the Times Square shooting on Congress, insisting the feds need to do more on gun control — while denying the shocking incident would hurt tourism.
“Look, this kind of thing should not happen in our city. We need Congress to help us to stop the flow of guns into New York City,” said the mayor — whose administration controversially disbanded the NYPD’s plainclothes anti-crime unit in 2019.
“We got a lot of work to do. But we know what works, and the NYPD is out there constantly making adjustments sending officers where they’re needed most,” de Blasio told reporters at a press conference.
He said more officers, including from the Police Department’s highly visible Critical Response Command, were being deployed to the Crossroads of the World in the wake of Saturday’s violence.
Three innocent bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, were allegedly shot by an illegal CD peddler aiming for his brother during a dispute around 5 p.m., police and law-enforcement sources have said.
The gunman is still in the wind, while the victims have been released from the hospital, although at least one still has a bullet in her leg.
Asked whether the terrifying daylight violence would keep tourists from the area, the mayor claimed, “I don’t think it will, honestly.”
“We’re putting additional NYPD resources in the Times Square area to add an extra measure of protection,’’ de Blasio said. “In the end, people want to come to this city.
“This is a very safe place, and there’s more and more activity.
“The city is clearly coming back” after the pandemic, he said. “Much earlier than I thought. We’re starting to see tourism already.’’
Former NYPD captain-turned-Brooklyn Borough President and mayoral candidate Eric Adams has called for the return of the Police Department’s plainclothes anti-crime unit — but de Blasio balked at the notion.
“I happen to disagree with him on the issue,” the mayor said.
Share this article:
Source: Read Full Article
