A video from a bystander in Times Square showed during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting that left three people shot in broad daylight, with New York Police Department officers rushing the youngest victim towards an ambulance.
NYPD said the shooting took place on Saturday after suspect Farrakhan Muhammad attempted to shoot his brother after an argument took place. Instead, Muhammad is accused of shooting three bystanders, according to NBC New York. A manhunt for Muhammad is now underway.
A four-year-old girl was shot in her calf, along with a 43-year-old woman from New Jersey, and a 23-year-old woman visiting the city for Mother's Day. All three were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Video taken after the shooting shows an officer, later identified as Alyssa Vogul, running while carrying the four-year-old to get her to a nearby ambulance.
Whether they’re rushing toward the danger to help save a little girl or rushing home to family after their tour this #MothersDay — the dedication of NY’s Finest knows no bounds.
— Deputy Commissioner John Miller (@NYPDDCPI) May 9, 2021
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WANTED in connection to shooting three people near West 44th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan on May 8, 2021. @NYPDDetectives need anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of this individual to contact @NYPDTips at #800577TIPS. All calls are anonymous. pic.twitter.com/qciBGCR6AK
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 9, 2021
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," Vogul said all the officers who were on the scene on Saturday were heroes.
"As a mom, I think my motherly instincts just went, 'I need to help her,'" Vogul said, adding the young child is "the strongest person I've ever seen, for somebody who has just been shot, she was just standing there obviously scared, but she wasn't crying or anything."
.@GMA EXCLUSIVE: NYPD officer Alyssa Vogul is being hailed a hero for carrying a 4-year-old child to a waiting ambulance after she was shot, along with two other bystanders, in Times Square on Saturday. @sramosABC has the story. https://t.co/4NUUb39ZAP pic.twitter.com/TJvVKXxBjo
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 10, 2021