Police responded to an emergency call on Thursday at around 5:30 pm about a man shot dead near the heart of a busy New York Times Square tourist hub outside a fast-food restaurant, sending bystanders running in fright, as local media reported.

The newly appointed gun-free zone witnessed a shooting that left the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest near West 44 Street and 8th Avenue. 

The New York Police Department issued a statement saying that the unidentified 22-year-old man later died at Mount Sinai West hospital, a few minutes walk from Times Square. They added that no arrests were made as of 9:30 pm.

"There was a stampede of people trying to get away," witness Will Colon told the New York Daily News. 

"It was a couple of young dudes who shot him," Colon said. "His body was laid right out on the sidewalk. He was face-up shaking." As such, it didn’t seem like he was going to make it.

An unnamed source informed the Daily News that two gunmen ran off on foot down Eighth Avenue.

Although challenged by gun rights proponents, the New York state legislature banned firearms in sensitive areas last September; including libraries, schools, hospitals, bars, government buildings, and heavily trafficked locations, obviously including Times Square. 

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New York City's Democratic mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, unveiled "Times Square: Gun Free Zone" signage for posting around the center of Manhattan, which has led the annual number of killings to drop significantly ever since.