A New York security guard working at a Target slated to open in Midtown Manhattan next month was shot and wounded with his own gun after an assailant wrestled it away from him during a confrontation early Sunday, cops said.
The 48-year-old guard was sitting outside the nearly completed store on Second Avenue and E. 29th St. when the man confronted him around 5:40 a.m., officials said. The two men got into a fight, and as they tussled, the shooter snatched the guard’s gun and shot him multiple times in the leg with it, police said. The guard was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
The shooter ran off with the gun but was taken into custody several blocks away. Charges against him were pending. Police have not yet recovered the firearm. Target said the guard had been hired by the company through a third-party contractor. “We appreciate the quick response from NYPD and will provide them whatever we can to aid in their investigation,” said Target spokeswoman Jenna Reck. “Our thoughts today are with the security guard, and we wish him a speedy recovery from his injuries.”
Sunday’s shooting marks the first shooting in the 13th Precinct in 2019. There was only one shooting in the precinct in 2018, about a block away. As of March 3, there have been 95 shooting incidents citywide, compared with 97 shootings during the same period last year last year, a decrease of 2%. [Source: Officer.com]