Man Shoots Ex-Girlfriend, Kills Her Boyfriend After Argument In New York

Investigators were searching for a man who opened fire inside a seventh-floor apartment in East Harlem, New York City, wounding his ex-girlfriend and killing her boyfriend.

The incident took place at a New York City Housing Authority’s East River Houses building at around 5:20 a.m. EDT. Damien Coleman, 27, was fatally injured in the shooting while his girlfriend, 26, who was not identified, sustained a gunshot wound in the left leg after a reported argument inside the apartment.

First responders rushed Coleman to the Metropolitan Hospital Center where he died. In a photo of the incident, obtained by New York Post, his girlfriend was seen being transported to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital with a bandage wrapped around her lower leg. Her condition was reportedly stable and she was recovering from her injury.

The police did not release the name of the suspect, only confirming that he dated the female victim in the past and fled on foot after the shooting. No other details of their relationship were disclosed by the authorities. Following the incident, the police scoured through the East River Houses looking for clues, including ballistic evidence.

A neighbor, who identified himself as Dave and said he knew Coleman, vouched for the latter's character, saying the victim was not someone who liked to stir up trouble. “He knew a lot of people but he stayed out of the streets,” he said. “He was a nice kid.”

Residents of the public housing facility confirmed that violent crimes were not uncommon in the area. “It’s just scary,” said Trista Wong, who has been staying in the complex for the last six years. “It actually happens quite often.”

Another resident, 20-year-old Jackie Cruz said, “I don’t go out because there’s a lot of violence here. I just want to move out now,” while a third resident who declined to give his name, said, “This goes on all the time around here.”

According to the statistics of New York Police Department’s 23rd Precinct, which was investigating the case, Sunday’s incident was the seventh shooting this year in the precinct, with Coleman’s death being the first murder of 2019. Last year, the precinct handled a total of four murder cases.