NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Boosts Police Presence in Times Square After Shooting

After two broad daylight shootings within the span of a month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is increasing the amount of police officers patrolling Times Square.

De Blasio said Monday that 50 more New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers would be assigned to Times Square in response, ABC7 New York reported.

“It is just an unacceptable state of affairs,” he said. “This is a place that is precious and so important to New York City. It has to be safe, so we are adding additional officers.”

A 21-year-old marine was shot near the Marriott Hotel on Sunday, according to the NYPD.

“Samuel Poulin, 21, a Marine, was with his wife, sister and brother-in-law outside the Marriott Hotel on West 45th Street and Broadway when he was hit in the upper back by a ricocheting bullet just after 5:15 p.m.,” the New York Post reported. The man is seriously injured, but he is expected to survive.

The shooting occurred between two street vendors after a group of five or six CD vendors began arguing, according to ABC7 New York. Poulin was not the intended target.

No one has been arrested yet, according to authorities.

The shooting took place just down the street from where another shooting occurred last month. In that shooting, two adults and a 4-year-old child were injured.

De Blasio approved shifting $1 billion away from the NYPD last summer. Subsequently, from January 1 through May 23, 2021, there were 531 shootings in the city, up from 295 during the same period last year, Breitbart News reported.

Shootings in NYC rose 73 percent in May of 2021 compared to the same time last year, according to data released by the NYPD. The previous month’s numbers show that shootings were up 166 percent in April of 2021 compared to the same time last year. While crimes such as robbery, burglary, and grand larceny were down from last year, violent crimes have risen in every category.

The mayor is walking back his plans by reinstating $92 million to build a new precinct cut from the budget last year.

De Blasio also said the city will be stepping up enforcement against illegal vendors via the “Times Square Safety Action Plan,” according to ABC7 New York.

“The bottom line is we are going to flood the zone in Times Square with additional officers to make sure this situation is resolved once and for all,” he said.