NYPD investigates 2 deadly shootings within 90 minutes in Manhattan
MANHATTAN (WABC) -- Police are investigating two deadly shootings in Manhattan, one in Midtown, the other in Chelsea, that happened within 90 minutes of each other on Wednesday night.
The shootings come at a time that the NYPD is touting historically low crime numbers, but law enforcers say they are ready for numbers to rise as summer approaches.
Police are looking for the gunmen in both incidents, the second of which happened at around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday along West 42nd Street, near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown.
When officers arrived, they found 30-year-old Marco Reyes shot in his head.
He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but died from his injuries.
In Chelsea, police got the call just before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on West 17th Street, not far from the High Line.
Police say 21-year-old Raqiese Cohen was shot in the neck.
He was initially taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in critical condition but later died.
There's no word yet on what led up to the shooting.
No arrests have been made in either shooting, and the investigations are ongoing.
These shootings come as the NYPD says shootings and homicides are at record lows this year.
As the weather warms up, the city typically sees an increase in crime.
To try and get ahead of that, the department is adding 1,500 officers on foot patrol to neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
They'll be working the evening tour when crime tends to increase.
"In 2020 and 2021 we had shootings approaching 1,600, they went down to 1,200, went down to 900, went down to 800, and now we're approaching the best numerical statistical year we've had in the police department," said NYPD Chief of Department John Chell.
So far this year, officers have taken more than 2,200 guns off the streets.
That's an average of more than 14 a day.
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