Man fatally shot during dispute at midtown Manhattan subway station, police say

A man died Saturday after being shot during a dispute at a subway station in Manhattan’s Theater District, according to police.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire at the 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue subway station around 12:21 p.m., police said. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:06 p.m.

The station serves midtown Manhattan, an area crowded with tourists and theatergoers.

Authorities did not name the victim, pending notification of his family, and said he was “possibly” in his 30s.

Police are searching for a man in connection with the shooting. In a statement, the NYPD said the man approached the victim on the northbound E train platform, shot him once in the chest and fled on foot.

At a news conference, police said a dispute between two men moved from the platform onto a train and back onto the platform. Investigators were still determining where the shots were fired, police said at the briefing.

Police said the shooting was not a random act.

The perpetrator “should face maximum consequences from the justice system,” said Michael Kemper, the chief security officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s subways.

“It is fortunate nobody outside the fight was hurt,” he added.

Yellow police tape blocked the entrance to the Seventh Avenue subway station Saturday afternoon.