A 33-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon outside a NYCHA complex on the Upper West Side, according to police, in a broad-daylight attack that left neighbors rattled.
Officers said the victim was hit multiple times in the chest and later died at Mount Sinai Morningside. Witnesses told investigators a masked gunman took off on a scooter immediately after the shooting, speeding away as people on the block scrambled for cover.
As reported by New York Daily News, police identified the victim as 33-year-old Rashaun Hopkins and said the shooting unfolded on West 104th Street near Manhattan Avenue at about 4:57 p.m. The outlet reports Hopkins lived in a tower within the Frederick Douglass Houses about three blocks from where he was shot and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigation underway
The killing took place within the NYPD's 24th Precinct, which lists its station house at 151 West 100th Street on the city's site, according to the NYPD. Detectives from the precinct were canvassing West 104th Street and the surrounding blocks, hunting for surveillance footage and additional witnesses, precinct officials said.
Police are asking anyone who saw what happened or who may have information about the gunman to contact investigators through the department's tip lines.
Neighbors and context
Residents in the Frederick Douglass Houses and nearby streets said the gunfire instantly revived long-simmering worries about street violence in the neighborhood. Many watched from windows and sidewalks as officers cordoned off the scene and worked into the evening.
As reported by New York Daily News, no arrests had been announced in connection with Hopkins' killing and detectives are urging anyone who may have seen the shooter or the scooter to speak up.
Local coverage by West Side Spirit notes that the Frederick Douglass Houses stretch roughly from West 100th to West 104th Streets and fall fully inside the 24th Precinct's patrol area, a cluster of towers that has long been a focal point in conversations about safety on this stretch of the Upper West Side.
The case remains an active NYPD investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or reach out directly to the 24th Precinct. Reporting options and additional details are listed on the NYPD website.
