New York City police are searching for a man seen on video shooting and killing a deli customer at point-blank range.
Around 9:30 p.m. last Wednesday, shots rang out in a Staten Island deli, leaving 25-year-old Kaseem Scott dead. Authorities have released the security camera footage in hopes of catching the suspect, according to CBS 2 New York.
The video also shows a bystander barely avoiding a stray bullet.
The news comes as shootings in America’s largest city have skyrocketed in recent weeks, including 15 shootings this past Sunday and five people shot in separate shootings on Tuesday.
Shootings in New York City rose by 220% last week compared to the same time in 2019.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has defended his anti-crime efforts and says he will stick to his plan to “get communities more deeply involved in fighting back against the violence.”
Many police officials in the city have pointed at de Blasio and other politicians for an uptick in crime through efforts to slash the police budget by $1 billion and disband the plainclothes anti-crime unit, which police data suggests led to an increase in crime almost immediately.
Police department morale is reportedly at the lowest level in decades as hundreds of officers have been injured during riots and retirement filings have surged by 400%.
