THE BRONX — A man was shot in the face during a dispute outside a Fordham bodega Tuesday afternoon amid a dramatic rise in violence throughout the borough, police said.
The 38-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was inside the store at 2273 Morris Ave. near East 183rd Street, about 3:30 p.m., when another man entered and drew a revolver, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
The two started to fight, and eventually spilled outside where the gunman shot the victim in the face and fled south towards Morris Avenue, the NYPD said.
The victim was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was still in critical condition Thursday, police said.
Investigators released a photo of the shooting suspect with his gun drawn inside the bodega. There had been no arrests as of Thursday. They did not immediately release the motive for the attack.
The shooting comes as The Bronx has seen a spike in violence since the beginning of the year with murders up 28.6 percent and assaults up by 9.1, according to NYPD data.
There have been 103 shooting victims as of earlier this week, contrasting the 84 during the same time period last year.
"Those are numbers that would concern any community board," said Bronx Community Board 5 head Xavier Rodriguez.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
