NYU students urged to ‘run, hide or fight’ as shots ring out near Brooklyn campus
Gunshots rang out at MetroTech Center near NYU’s Downtown Brooklyn campus Tuesday morning, sparking an alert that had students urged to, “Run, Hide or Fight.”
Multiple shots were fired just before 10:50 a.m. near 2 MetroTech Center, and around eight to 10 men or teenagers were seen running from the scene westbound on Bridge Street, cops said.
No injuries were reported, but cops are canvassing local hospitals for possible gunshot victims, law enforcement sources said.
Police later found five shell casings and some blood on the sidewalk near the Jay Street subway station, sources added.
“I heard shots, and I was done,” a witness who works nearby told The Post.
He said he did “what anybody would do” when people start shooting.
“You ain’t gonna stand there, you gonna run. So that’s what I did,” said the man, declining to be identified out of fear.
He described the shooters as teenagers but was concerned about saying more because of possible gang links.
“It’s that Blood and Crip s–t,” he said.
“I work here every day. I have two daughters. They’re older, but still they need a dad. So I know nothing, I see nothing.”
The gunfire erupted near NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering campus and the university’s 370 Jay St. facility, leading to a local public-schools lockdown and NYU’s campus safety to issue a concerning alert to students.
“If you are in the area: Run, Hide, or Fight. Others stay away. Help is on the way,” said the alert, sent at 10:47 a.m. About a half an hour later, NYU Campus Safety tweeted the scene was “all clear,” although police activity is ongoing.
Several public schools in the area were put on lockdown after the shooting, city Department of Education officials said, though it wasn’t clear which schools or how many were affected by the order.
“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and out of an abundance of caution, these schools went into a brief shelter-in due to reports of an off-campus incident,” DOE rep Jenna Lyle said. “The shelter-in has now been lifted.”
An NYU rep said Tuesday afternoon that there was no evidence to suggest the shooting was university-related.
“NYU’s Campus Safety Dept immediately sent out a warning via text message alerting those in our Downtown Brooklyn campus area to shelter in place and others to avoid the area,” representative John Beckman said in a statement provided to The Post.
The NYPD has told the university there is no ongoing threat, and campus officials are telling students and staff “they can resume normal activity,” Beckman added.
“We are also reminding our community about the availability of counseling services for students and employees,” Beckman said.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Cayla Bamberger
