The murder took place at around 8:23 pm Wednesday, on a sidewalk at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 95th Street in the exclusive neighborhood, across the street from a playground packed with children, officials announced.
The 20-year-old victim was walking with her three-month-old baby when the hooded shooter closed her and "fired a single shot into her head from a very close range," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell explained to reporters.
The unidentified killer immediately fled on foot heading eastbound on East 95th Street and remains at large, police announced.
The Manhattan neighborhood is the most affluent in New York, with average house prices at an eye-watering $1.5million and private school fees surpassing $58,000 per year.
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Horrified children at the nearby playground witnessed the horrific shooting, and one girl stated she heard a loud "boom" that she quickly realized was a gunshot.
A 10-year-old girl, who was at the playground with her brother and aunt, explained that she heard an "extremely loud boom" and saw a woman fall to the sidewalk.
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"I was really confused because I thought maybe this was fireworks. But then I realized that no, this is serious and that there was a gunshot," the young witness stated.
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"And it really frightened me because I was right there at the park playing and I never would have ever thought that would happen," she went on.
"I saw a lot of people running, and I saw a woman down there, she fell," the girl recalled.
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"I was worried but then I wanted to stay calm, because I didn't want any interaction, and I didn't want anything else to happen."
Mayor Eric Adams blamed the shooting on the "over-proliferation of guns" and announced that criminals have "no fear in using these guns on innocent New Yorkers."
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The shooter was defined as a male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. Police offered no further description of the killer.
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The woman was rushed to nearby Metropolitan Hospital, where she died within an hour. The baby was further taken to the hospital for evaluation but was unharmed.
Officials are probing domestic violence as a potential motive in the shooting, though have not yet confirmed such a connection.
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"We can't confirm that at this time, it's under investigation," Sewell said to reporters when questioned if the father of the baby is suspected in the shooting.
Police are withholding the identity of the victim pending family notification.
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