Times Square has been arguably the busiest as well as one of the most iconic places of New York, but got hit by a massacre when a teenager opened fire around midnight with three people being seriously injured. Reports say that the scene took place after 1 a.m. sharp, at the West 44th Street and 7th Avenue, and the boy who started shooting is reportedly only 17-year-old.
As per what the police stated, he pulled out a gun following a dispute taking place in between two people. NYPD has reported that among those who are struck by the gunfire are an 18-year-old woman and two men, aged 19 and 65,
There were several people present in the scene who witnessed the gunshots with their eyes that went on to cut through the usual chaos in the place. An operator of an ice cream truck in the area, named Ahmed Talal, said to the reporters that he saw “people running in my direction, followed by about 10 cops.”
The person also stated that the area where the incident took place is usually full of people during the early morning hours; however, at that time, was a bit emptier as the shooting took place, eventually raising fear among people. “The crowd was about half the size it normally is,” he said, roughly 90 minutes after the shots rang out.
Talking about one of those victims, the woman injured suffered a graze in the neck, and the male victims, on the other hand, got shot in their legs. However, all of them were taken to the hospital for their recovery. Social media lit up with shaky cellphone videos showing a heavy police presence in the neon-lit square. Sirens wailed as officers swarmed the scene, cordoning off sections of the sidewalk while paramedics worked quickly to treat the wounded.
NYPD says a 17-year-old opened fire in Times Square overnight after a dispute, injuring an 18-year-old woman and two men aged 19 and 65.
The shooting occurred in the busy tourist hub around 2am local time.
The suspect has been arrested.#NewYork #TimesSquare pic.twitter.com/CqCTWwdggq
— BPI News (@BPINewsOrg) August 9, 2025
The teenage suspect was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. Due to his age, police have not released his name. Officials have not yet said how he obtained the firearm or what sparked the initial confrontation.
One witness described seeing officers moving in quickly on the suspect, while others helped clear the area to prevent further chaos. “It all happened so fast — people were screaming, and then the police were everywhere,” they said. Times Square, often called “the crossroads of the world,” sees hundreds of thousands of visitors daily. The shooting has sparked fresh concerns about gun violence in crowded public spaces.
Three people shot after teen gunman opens fire in Times Square, sparking chaos in tourist hotspot https://t.co/l45VdQuQmG pic.twitter.com/Bk09cwjMyo
— New York Post (@nypost) August 9, 2025
By late morning, foot traffic in the area had started to pick up again, but the mood remained tense. Some visitors paused to take photos of the crime scene tape, while others walked quickly past, avoiding eye contact. For now, police are continuing their investigation, reviewing security camera footage and interviewing witnesses. Officials say more details will be shared once charges are filed. As Talal put it, “You just never expect something like this to happen right here — not in the middle of Times Square.”
