Times Square shooting victim begged for her life after being hit by bullet as Mother's Day trip turned to bloody horror

A YOUNG mom has told of the harrowing moment she was forced to plead for her life as a gunman opened fire in Times Square.

Wendy Magrinat screamed out for help as she lay bleeding on the ground after a shooter caused carnage in the New York City tourist hotspot – injuring her, another woman, and a four-year-old girl.

The 23-year-old gunshot victim was waiting in line to go into the Line Friends store on Broadway with her two-year-old daughter when the trip turned into a horror scene as she was struck by a bullet.

"I just covered it and ran a little, just to get my daughter and my family to safety – but I couldn’t," Wendy told the New York Post.

"The pain was too much, and I dropped to the floor.

"I was screaming 'I don't want to die, please help me' – and people were just recording, they weren’t helping.

"I was on the floor and a group just surrounded me, all with their phones recording. I understand people get in shock.

"But if you’re in shock, you shouldn’t be recording. But that’s how people are right now.”

Wendy had traveled to the city from Florida for a reunion with her family ahead of Mother's Day, and was queueing with her mom, stepdad, eight-year-old sister, her husband, and their tot, Elise, when she was shot.

She says a row erupted between a group of men before chaos broke out and she was left begging for her life.

“Everything was so fast, but the shooting started — and the first shot went to my leg,” she recalled.

“I felt really dizzy, and I was losing blood and I just started screaming, ‘I got shot! I got shot! I don’t want to die!'"

Wendy was rushed to hospital but surgeons opted against removing the bullet from her leg fearing it could make the damage worse.

“I would have died if my daughter would have gotten shot," she added.

“All I kept thinking was, ‘I have a two-year-old child – it could have been her, or it was possible I’d never get to see her again.'”

Police are now hunting for the gunman who opened fire on innocent bystanders – including four-year-old Skye Martinez from Brooklyn.

The youngster was taken to Bellevue Hospital to recover, her aunt said.

"None of us knew what was gonna happen and then it’s like, why did it have to be her? Because she’s 4 years old," she told NY Daily News.

I was screaming 'I don't want to die, please help me'

"Like why there, how could you? It’s just so many people there. Do you not care about any other people?"

Little Skye had been waiting to shop for toys when a bullet hit her.

"She’s pretty tough I guess," her aunt added.

"She’s always been happy. It’s really hard to see her upset because she’s usually playing around."

Meanwhile, incredible footage appears to show a hero cop carrying a child to safety during the horror gun rampage.

Video – which is being widely shared on social media – appears to show the mayhem as police scrambled to get the situation under control after the shots were fired outside the Minskoff Theater, where The Lion King is performed.

With sirens blaring in the background, a group of officers can be seen running through the city streets amid the carnage.

The camera then zooms in on one officer who appears to be cradling a small child in her arms.

She clutches the child as they run towards an ambulance and try to get the little one to safety amid the chaos.

"They're carrying a little girl, they're carrying a little girl," one stunned voice says from behind the camera.

It is not immediately clear if the child who was shot is the same as the one being cradled by the brave officer.

The clip is gaining traction on social media after a shortened version was shared by retired NYPD detective Angel L Maysonet.

"This what the f*** we do. This is who the f*** we are. This is why I defend the badge & I will until the day I die," he wrote.

"We do this job, not for those who hate us, but to protect the innocent. We don’t want accolades or special treatment. We want to be appreciated."

His post has been liked more than 2,000 times and shared over 600 times as of publication – with the numbers increasing every minute.

Toddler Skye and Wendy were both shot in the leg, while another 43-year-old bystander, Marcela Aldana from New Jersey, was struck in the foot during the Saturday evening shootout in New York City, police said.

Commissioner Dermot Shea press conference confirmed gunfire rang out after a "dispute" while speaking at a press conference.

"It appears at this point time the three individuals that were shot are not known to each other and it appears all they are innocent bystanders," he said.

"At this point in time we have one person of interest that we are seeking information. We have at least one shooter but it's an active investigation."

"We have a dispute from numerous witnesses that involved at least two to four people,"

Shea said. "It is during this dispute that at least one person pulled out a gun."

Although he noted that it is early in the investigation and things could "change," Shea confirmed it was while pulling out the gun and firing, the suspect struck the three victims.

NYPD officers on the scene recovered three .25 caliber shell casings – and have circulated a photo of a man they want to speak to.

The investigation continues.

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