A teenage NYC school employee is clinging to life at the hospital after he was shot in the head about a block away from the elementary school where he had been teaching earlier in the day, police said.
The gunfire erupted minutes before 3 p.m. Tuesday as the 19-year-old victim was walking along Avenue M toward Utica Avenue in Flatlands, according to police. That's when another man fired at him four times from across the street, with one of the bullets striking him in the head.
The victim stumbled into a corner deli and collapsed before being rushed to Brookdale Hospital. Police said that while the motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, they believe the victim was targeted. No words were exchanged before the shots were fired, police said.
The gunman took off from the scene. Police said he was seen wearing red sweatpants, a red hooded sweatshirt, a red durag and black parka with long zippers on the forearms and fur trim on the hood
The victim has not been identified, though his union said he works as a school paraprofessional for the Department of Education. While he was working at PS 203 on Tuesday, he can be assigned to other schools as well. Police said he does not have a criminal record.
A single bullet hole could be seen at the deli the teen stumbled into, along with shattered glass. The neighborhood was left shaken after the incident.
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"You don’t even know what to say anymore. A 19-year-old, working. This one is working. I mean, he was doing the right thing," said City Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse.
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No one else was hurt in the shooting. NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks said he has been in touch with the principal at PS 203 to make sure the students get counseling.
