Gunfight plays out in the Bronx between gangs before 10pm

Moment Wild West gunfight plays out in the Bronx when two gangs open fire in insane street battle as NYC crimes soars

• Footage released by the NYPD shows several camera angles of two gangs exchanging gunfire with one another from across the street 
• Police are searching for two suspects in particular for questioning 
• Miraculously no one was injured in the shooting according to the police
• The gunfight took place on September 16 on East 169th St. in the Bronx, NY
• It comes after former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo announced America’s first ever state of emergency over gun violence
• Murders in New York City specifically soared 47 percent from 2019 to 2020, with a staggering 70 percent of shootings going unsolved

An intense wild west gunfight that played out on the streets of the Bronx was caught on camera in incredible new footage released by New York police.

The video begins by showing what appears to be seven gang members brandishing pistols, firing at an unidentified target across the street.

This is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents of violent crime that have become more common throughout the five boroughs in the last 18 months, during which New York City has seen a rise in the number of shootings, felony assaults, and hate crimes.

Several of the men fired shots before sprinting away down the street, while two others crawled to take cover behind a parked car.

One other individual simply dropped to the floor and covered his head with his hands and a hood, miraculously emerging without any injuries.

The footage then cuts to another angle in which two other men in wearing hoods can be seen firing pistols back at the gang as they backed away.

Police are searching for the suspects shown in the video composed from several clips from street CCTV cameras on East 169th Street, which shows two groups exchanging gunfire from across the street before 10pm on September 16.  

Last Monday, the FBI released its round up of 2020 crime figures which revealed that the US experienced the biggest increase in homicides year-to-year since records began in 1960, with an additional 4,901 homicides in 2020 compared with the year before. 

Murders in New York City specifically soared 47 percent from 2019 to 2020, with a staggering 70 percent of shootings going unsolved. 

The NYPD released surveillance footage asking the public for help in identifying these two individuals who were linked to incidents of gang shooting in The Bronx last month

The image above taken by a surveillance camera shows the initial moments gang members started shooting in the Morrisania section of The Bronx on September 16

The video begins by showing what appears to be seven gang members brandishing pistols, firing at an unidentified target across the street

The wild gunfight took place in the middle of East 169th Street just before 10pm on September 16

Several people were seen ducking for cover as the area turned into a turf war between rival gangs

Several of the men fired shots before sprinting away down the street, while two others crawled to take cover behind a parked car. The man pictured bottom dropped to the floor with no cover, simply cradling his head in his hands, but miraculously emerged unscathed

The NYPD released surveillance footage showing the scene from another angle. The image above shows one of the gunmen from a rival gang

Monday’s incidents come as overall crime in New York City dropped in August after a summer crime wave that had city officials pointing fingers at each other.

Total crime dropped by one percent in August compared to August 2020, with the biggest drops being in burglary, -24 percent, and shooting incidents, -30.7 percent, according to the latest official monthly figures from the NYPD.  

The trend may be reversing, as weekly numbers ending on Sunday show that felony assaults are up by 7 percent, shootings are up by 1.6 percent and rapes are up by 2.2 percent as a whole compared to the same time last year.  

The NYPD on Monday asked the public for help in identifying two persons of interest believed to be connected to the shootings. 

One tall, black male wearing a grey shirt and dark pants with mid length hair is seen walking down the street alongside a shorter black male wearing a grey hooded tracksuit and matching shorts and a buzz cut.

The NYPD reported the incident did not result in any fatalities, with both groups of gang members emerging unscathed.  

A Google street view image of East 169th Street in the Bronx, New York, where the gun battle took place on September 16 according to the NYPD

New York City’s crime wave of 2020 resulted in a 47 percent increase in murders

While the murder rate rose by 47 percent last year, there was a drop in felony crimes

Felony assault, rape and shootings were all up through October 3 compared to last year

Prior to his August resignation, the former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo announced America’s first ever state of emergency on gun violence in July, after announcing that least 51 people were shot in New York over the 4 July weekend alone.  

The NYPD released their own crime statistics in early September for the month of August.

While the police reported an overall decline in murders and overall crime in New York City in August 2021 vs August 2020 – murder decreased by 8.6% (53 v. 58), overall incidents of crime decreased by 5.4% (8,824 v. 9,330) – gun arrests for the first eight months of 2021 have increased by 37% in comparison with the same time period of 2020 (3,025 v. 2,208).

The NYPD appealed for anyone with information regarding the September 16 shooting incident to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). 

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

How NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has come under fire for spiralling crime rates and handling of pandemic

Democrat Bill de Blasio’s tenure as the 109th New York City Mayor has been marred by controversy since he was elected in 2014.

Criticism during his time in office includes the spiralling crime on the city’s streets, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and his fractious relationship with NYPD.

He has also come under fire for his approach to the Eric Garner case and his plans to increase affordable housing at the expense of the city’s character.

Crime has also become a frequent stain on de Blasio’s tenure in office, with statistics showing that both shootings and felony assaults had both increased in number compared to last year – with de Blasio blaming the court system.  

Shootings in April 2021 in New York surged by 166 per cent compared to the same month last year, and felony assaults had risen by 35.6 per cent – while crime as a whole jumped by 30.4 per cent.

High crime rates, paired with the nation’s highest tax rates have also seen many people ditching New York City for good – with the coronavirus pandemic providing the push they needed. 

Bill de Blasio (pictured) has served as the 109th mayor of New York City since he was elected in back in 2014, though his time in office has been marred with controversy

De Blasio has also endured some controversial episodes during his time in office, such as in 2014. Eric Garner died after former New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo put him into a choke hold on Staten Island – but the officer retained his job. 

He has also endured a strained relationship with the NYPD, with many officers turning their backs on him during the funeral for Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

The two officers had been shot just weeks after de Blasio gave an interview in which he claimed to have told his son Dante, who is biracial, about the ‘dangers’ posed by the police to young black men.

Similarly, de Blasio faced backlash after he did not attend the vigil held for New York City police officer Miosotis Familia in July 2017. While speaking at Familia’s service, many police officers again chose to turn their backs on de Blasio.

Elsewhere, de Blasio has also been criticised for how he has dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic. During the second week of March 2020, he did not act to close down public schools as the virus rapidly spread.

When he eventually did give the order for schools to be shut, he was called out for having been too slow. 

De Blasio has also faced criticism over a recent vaccination mandate he imposed on school staff.

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