A tourist from Denmark was shot in the back in New York City‘s Upper West Side on Sunday morning after refusing to turn over his cellphone to the robber, police say.
The tourist was on his way home from a party when he was apprehended by the gunman at 3.30am at West 103rd Street and West End Avenue.
The unidentified male robber demanded money from the man and then his cellphone.
When the Denmark resident attempted to deny the shooter of his demands and walk away, he was shot in the back.
‘He just kept walking and the guy shot him,’ a police source reportedly said.
The scene from NYC’s Upper West Side where a tourist from Denmark was shot in the back after walking away from a robber
The tourist was apprehended by the unidentified male gunman, who demanded money and his phone, but the tourist denied him
Originally from Argentina, the victim was transported to St Luke’s hospital in stable condition
The man, who was born in Argentina but is a resident of Denmark, was taken to St. Luke’s hospital in stable condition.
There were no immediate arrests and the investigation is ongoing, according to the NYPD.
New Yorkers have grown weary over the latest spike in violence and crimes on the city streets, as well as the widespread looting and physical altercations in many neighborhoods.
The widespread crime problem has not been limited to any neighborhood, with areas that were previously seen as safe now riddled with crime.
In Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood, children have allegedly become exposed to nudity, sex acts and drug use while business owners deal with constant break-ins.
Frustration is growing among residents as overall crime is up a dramatic 35.31 percent since last year.
Approximately 11,737 robberies have been reported as of September 4 – about 3,318 more in comparison to the same time last year.
Meanwhile, 10,500 burglaries have been reported, which is about 2,600 more than in 2021.
Felony assaults are also up by 18.2 percent, with grand larceny leading the way in the uptick of crime with more than 10,000 cases reported in comparison to last year.
The city has also recorded a 39 percent rise in robberies and a 21 percent rise in aggravated assaults.
There was a massive cop exodus from the NYPD this year, according to the New York Post, with 2,465 police officers filing to leave the department — 42 percent more than the 1,731 who exited at the same time last year.