By Carol Tannenhauser
Police have arrested the man who allegedly shot a Danish tourist in the back early Sunday morning, on West End Avenue and 103rd Street, for refusing to give him money, an NYPD spokesperson told WSR.
The suspect demanded a dollar, according to NBC. “The tourist said he didn’t have any money and kept walking…he ended up shot in the back.”
Narada Hayles, 36, was arrested on Monday at approximately 11:10 pm., and charged with Attempted Murder, two counts of Assault, Criminal Possession of a Weapon/ Loaded Firearm, and Reckless Endangerment.
Hayles lives at 201 West 98th Street. “The residence is for applicants only referred by DHS [Department of Homeless Services] that meet specific program requirements. On-site case management and clinical services are available,” according to the website. Clients are also referred there by the New York State Office of Mental Health.
The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital where he remains in stable condition. “He’s expected to be okay,” police said.
And will he be prosecuted?
Maybe. The issue is that this obvious unwell person was roaming the streets in the middle of the busy neighborhood. And how many of those we currently have? I think hundreds in only my zip code.
Yet Brewer keeps placing shelters in our neighborhood
Re: “Yet Brewer keeps placing shelters in our neighborhood”
REALLY?!? Council-Person Brewer is responsible, NOT the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) ?
Yes, NYC’s spider-web of departments, agencies, bureaus, etc. can be very confusing, but just “Googling” who is responsible for NYC homeless shelters would provide not just that result but also several links to that agency.
You know perfectly what I meant. No need to be condescending and suggesting googling. People on this site are intelligent enough to know those things.
What I meant is that Brewer keeps these deals under wraps till the last moment and doesn’t do anything about it despite multiple complaints from her constituents.
“obvious unwell person was roaming the streets in the middle of the busy neighborhood” – with a gun!!!
Why shouldn’t he be? Why would anyone assume that someone arrested for attempted murder wouldn’t be prosecuted?
Because we have a DA that feels that way
That’s BS, pure and simple.
We actually don’t. What we have is right wing propagandists.
I am struck by this and previous articles as to how many perpetrators are apprehended by our police. (Spare me diatribes about their release, which is a separate issue.)
Great job NYPD. But bloody hell please get him out of here.
I’m glad the police have picked him up, and hope the victim recovers speedily.
Amazing how they caught this guy. I’m not sure how they did it; good for them. But this is my corner. This kind of event was UNTHINKABLE just a few years ago. I’m sure I’m not alone — other residents in other UWS neighborhoods are feeling the same. This all seems to have exploded during COVID and the aftermath…. I’ve got my theories on why, but I’d love to hear others’ views — and what should be done to address the crime situation.
I was thinking about this. There have been plenty of people mugged in our neighborhood over the years (remember the rash of muggings/assaults on 106th and WEA about 4-5 years ago? Th difference here is that illegal guns are flooding the city. There needs to be more action taken on shutting down that gun pipeline.
There were plenty of pictures; most of the buildings on WEA have security cameras, and this man was known to the police. That said, great job for picking him up and getting him off the streets. Hopefully the DA’s office will do its job also.
Hayles, who lives a few blocks from the crime scene, has a pending grand larceny case in Queens for swiping a phone from sleeping passenger on a J train, authorities said.
He was caught in that case when the victim used a train conductor’s phone to call himself, according to the criminal complaint.
Hayles has other arrests on his record, including another one for grand larceny, plus petty larceny and theft of service, police said.
Send him to JAIL!
It’s so easily could have been me.
Me too. I’m up early (not THAT early) but it’s this types of stuff that eventually causes people to move out of NYC.
Scarier for a woman i’m sure.
Wow that could happen to any of us, so general and common, asking for money.
Unreal. Over a goddamn dollar. If there was a death penalty I would hope he would be in line for it.
If it were me, I’d be lawyering up and trying to sue the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, which runs the shelter where he lives. PCMH owns 16 buildings, so they have money.
They clearly don’t do room searches for weapons, something that should be mandatory in all homeless shelters.
Great points! And to add to that, no one at the DHS-assigned residence is responsible for the comings and goings of their “clients” at, say, like 3:30 AM?!?!
Why is clients in quotes? Are you inferring that they are inmates subject to being locked in their rooms overnight?
It’s the norm for shelters to have curfews so no he shouldn’t have been out at 3:30am and the shelter should have prevented this. They should also have prevented his possession of an illegal gun.
It’s not a “shelter”. It’s housing for the formerly homeless.
Thank you to the police department!
I want to leave my comment again from the last issue….
Hoping someone can shed some light:
Does anyone know the actual details of the procedure by which the current terrible bail law could be rescinded? And which and how many public officials could help or hinder this? E.g. What will it actually take to get some an actual good sense law working asap–especially for curbing repeat offenses.
Also, it would be great to know what the “specific requirements of the Dept. of Homeless Services are that this man was deemed ok to live in homeless housing….
How about all candidates agreeing (and even being checked for) no guns for admission to a homeless residence! ?
And on another current concern…..how easy will it be for the new migrant population to increase guns on the street? Waaaaaay too many guns and apparently too easy to get. I am beyond sad and horrified the city has lost its way in standing up to violent crime.
Let’s get the crazy bail law rescinded now for starters!
Guns have nothing to do with immigration. Did your ancestors run around with guns? Only if they were in the Black Hand or some other criminal group. That has nothing to do with their immigration status. Just ask the James Gang. Now that that’s out of the way, this is a case of a man who is mentally unstable who got a gun and yet lives in a shelter, which should be vetting residents for guns, and possibly even have a metal detector at the door. Also, vote for candidates who wish to repeal bail reform and repeal anti-police legislation. Their political party is irrelevant as many Democrats are also for law and order. Take in the totality of the candidate. Bail reform must be rescinded, as other anti police legislation, such as the Diaphragm Compression bill. Hope that helps. Also the GOP likes to pretend it is all for law and order, except when it comes to things like guns or rioting at the Capitol or obstructing justice or screaming about personal liberty while sticking their hands in your womb. So, again, it’s the totality of the candidate. Hope this helps.
Seems like you are equating “migrant” with “gun-wielding criminal,” and because of that, I’m going to guess you are a troll, maybe even paid?
I’ve noticed quite a few posts recently that take me right back to 2016 and the beginnings of influencing with misinformation and bogotry.
I am not certain but I believe the state senate has a big say in this. Election is coming up. Brad “crime, what crime?” Hoylman vs Maria Danzilo, a Democrat who also prioritizes safety. Seems like an easy choice but she got trounced in the primary.
Hopefully this criminal will be prosecuted and taken off the street. Let’s prioritize the health and safety of the innocent over that of the criminals. And perhaps we can move these shelters out of NYC and make this a NY state or national problem. They can be housed more cheaply and have fewer temptations elsewhere.
Thanks to NYPD for the great work catching him! And thanks to WSR for the update.
Next you’ll suggest putting the homeless in work camps.
I know many hard working people in low paying jobs who live far from Manhattan and have long commutes because that is all they can afford. Meanwhile we are giving prime Manhattan real estate to people who need a lot of help and don’t need to be here.
You could probably give them twice the space and have many more service providers if they were outside the city. This is not nimby – this is trying to help these people and also using money as efficiently as possible. Money does not grow on trees.
What is your solution? Bake them cookies and let them roam the streets? That is not helping them.
Once again, the rational people in the middle are getting drowned out by the crazies on the extreme left and right.
These are free people who can decide where they want to live. If they want to move upstate, then they would move. Rounding up and shipping “undesirables” to other places is what fascists do.
As we all know those who live and work in the West 90’s – isn’t it time to DEMAND we not add more shelters and assisted housing until THEY GET A GRIP ON THEM??? We have the Fortune Society putting another on West 97th street for released criminals next year where there are already 2 on the same block with problems.
YES – there are many hard working people in shelters but there are also mentally ill, those drug addicted and criminals. UNTIL there is accountability and enforcement, the West 90’s does not deserve ANOTHER. We have more than the fair share with continued problems. For this individual to be living in our neighborhood and almost kill someone, we need things under control before another shelter/assisted housing goes in.
Will people please speak up and call Gale Brewer to tell her we can’t handle any more until they are monitored and accountable???
If we don’t say anything, this situation will continue and multiply. Anyone else frightened enough yet? I know I am.
Call – Every day Gail Brewer, the Mayor ( by calling 311 – you can leave a message) and the Governor’s office.
I just called Gail Brewer’s office – 212-873-0282. An absolutely inept intern answered and before I even mentioned the issue said that they will pass the message to her.
However, we need to keep on calling and demanding that she tells us what steps she is taking to prevent more homeless shelters in our very dense neighborhood next to schools and residential buildings.
correction: “love/hate” — not “hard”
He can afford a gun but needs a dollar?
he probably stole the gun. This past winter on a Sunday evening, I had three 12 year olds demand a dollar from me as I walking by the Bloomingdale library. I said no, and kept walking, they surrounded me and one gestured to his pants like he was going to pull a gun. As everyone knows, the police precinct is literally across the street. I screamed at them to follow me to the precinct. Two cops took me for a ride in their car around the area to see if I could point them out, but they were nowhere to be found. I’ve been living on the UWS since 2010. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. It made me mad, sad, and a little scared.
One would hope the “specific requirements” for supportive housing residency include ejection of those with weapons. But apprently this is not a criteria or not being monitored, because Hayles was able to move freely in and out with a gun. DHS has an obligation to provide safe shelter to its residents and to the community/neighborhood hosting the residence!
I agree in theory but if you kick them out, then where do they go? Are we any safer if they are just on the streets? I don’t know what the answer is.
I wish we could require those who are able to work whether they like it or not. There are plenty of low skill tasks that need to get done and that could cover some of their expenses.
Please be advised that your idea of requiring “those who are able to work whether they like it or not” has been tried before—check out the Civil War sometime to see how it ended up going.
Once he gets out of the hospital, I wouldn’t expect the Danish tourist coming back anytime soon. Nor would I expect him to recommend NYC as a tourist destination
Please review the pipeline of released criminals and sex offenders that are going into the homeless shelters on the UWS.
In addition, we keep getting more and more homeless shelters and no one here seems to object by reaching out to their city council person. Mayor or Governor
In Manhattan, we have the largest number of homeless shelter residence on the Upper West Side.
Folks – please for our elders – speak up for them!
They are being aggressively panhandled and are afraid. Many of them don’t have years for the area to get better. They would like to sit on a park bench in the middle of the day without being terrorized for money..
“Our elders” are a diverse group with differing opinions, I’m over 65 and can speak for myself. Crime is always a possibility; it always has been, and it’s a complex issue. But I’m not afraid to sit on a park bench in the middle of the day, and I’m proud to live in a neighborhood with many homeless shelters. I like to think it speaks to our compassion.
That’s great for you Vicki, and I don’t think the writer meant people in their 60’s.
My mom who is 86 and walks with a walker is being harassed and aggressively panhandled every day she leaves the apartment. Why? She is a slow mover and has men in her face demanding money.
Do you think she enjoys this?
Have some compassion….
I’m very happy for you that you could sit and enjoy your day feeling safe. However, some of us have school age children. The whole neighborhood is not safe for children because they walk to/fro school passing by many violent mentally I’ll homeless individuals.
Do you feel compassion for the children and families of the area?
We need to start a petition
Petitions mean nothing if the politicians who they are directed to know the public is going to vote for them anyway as long as they are in the D column.
You are right. I thought it is better than doing nothing.
This is a hugely difficult situation. Never as simple as screening folks for drugs or weapons, as there are too many ways around this. These are mentally ill people, often off their meds, out of their minds and homeless. NIMBY is also not the answer. But what is “The Answer” remains largely unknown. I know tons of people in the mental health field and we are all at a loss. If you’ve a real possible solution, please share.
I agree it’s not simple. A lot of posters here seem to think there’s a binary: “public safety” or “soft on crime,” with a nod here and there to mental health services. We have laws that protect the rights of many categories of people in need, but the system certainly is strained. It takes money to do the right thing, and the money has to be managed in ways that both solve immediate problems and anticipate future ones. Oppositional, left-versus-right politics doesn’t foster that kind of thinking, much less that kind of work. Paying for services for people in need is not charity, it’s pragmatism. And as we see with Florida and Texas sending people north, it’s no longer an issue that can be localized. Leaving aside the likely illegality and clear cruelty of the execution of that move, it does raise the valid point that paying for services for people in need is a shared responsibility. “Sending them away,” to another state, city, borough, neighborhood, or to jail, prolongs the problem instead of solving it.
Actually nimby is the answer. They can be served in a much more cost effective way outside nyc, and particularly outside Manhattan. And they will be further away from the temptations of the city. Many of them have no ties to NYC or they would not be in the position.
I know this might sound like a DeSantis airlift but if it is done in a smart, compassionate way it is best for all parties involved. The do-gooders who are so set on trying to “help” by “protecting their rights” are only making things worse by letting them rot away and putting the rest of us at risk in the process – it is a lose-lose.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I disagree for a few important reasons that would take up too much time/space here to get into.
It sounds exactly like a DeSantis airlift and just as morally repugnant. Your assumption that the homeless have no ties to NYC is weird, and you putting “help” and “protecting their rights” in quotes is weirder still. And your idea of putting them into upstate camps is disturbing. This fascist line of thinking is not only undemocratic but historically dangerous.
I seriously appreciate this thoughtful response. Thank you for not getting angry or simplistic (although “do-gooders” sounds a little derisive as a description of someone who actually wants to do good). Off the cuff, I disagree because: 1) I’m not comfortable deciding who can handle “the temptations of the city”; 2) I don’t believe that any more of them* lack ties to the city than the average resident; 3) I can’t think of any “back yard” that will more willingly or more capably accept them than mine; 4) it disturbs me that you put “protecting their rights” in quotation marks; 5) the “cost effective” argument only makes sense in the context of property values that are based on people with enormous wealth excluding people without it. * “Them” is a dangerous pronoun, because but for the grace of God any one of “us” could easily become one of “them.” If you feel so confident in your own riches that it can’t happen to you, then that’s due at least in part to luck. Good for you, and I’m sure you’ve worked hard, but I don’t think that means you should be allowed to extricate others from their home without their consent. And — although you might rationally choose to leave if you were in their position — I don’t think you’d appreciate being forced to, especially if you had a family, friends, etc.
So is he out now? Do my tax dollars get to stop funding his criminal lifestyle? What a joke. Like many laws here, Kendras Law is underutilized
If anyone is interested, tonight at 7pm at the Library across from the 24th Precinct there is a town hall with the Chief of the precinct to answer questions from the community. This has been a monthly event. I hope a lot of people attend.
That this person was freely roaming the streets is a disgrace. Bad enough that a man was shot. What if had been a child? Our elected officials are failing their constituents.
Shooting someone over ONE DOLLAR is pure madness. The suspect, if convicted, should be kept away from the public as he is clearly unwell and a walking danger to everyone else.
This is the first comment about the availability of guns and the collective will for the right to bear arms in the United States.
Lots of readers write that they are terrified of cars, bikes, scooters, bicycle delivery folk, the homeless, the poor. But not guns. Mmmm…
UWSiders do love shopping. Consider this: “The last estimated number till March 2020 suggests that there are approximately 393,347,000 privately owned firearms in the United States. According to the data for the year 2020 a record-breaking 22.8 million guns were bought, while the purchase number dipped in the year 2021 to 19.9 million.
On average, EVERY citizen owns more than one gun.
I own 2. Quite legally and not here of course, nyc makes it impossible. Would I feel safer if I could carry here? Yeah, yes I would
So he’s out by now, right?
I mean, it’s already been several hours and we have Alvin on the case, so…
All just a matter of time.