Then the gunshots came, three in quick succession. Parkgoers rushed out of the rink, many stopping only to remove their skates and running out in socks or stockings. Among the few who remained were two skaters, a 14-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man, both wounded by the gunfire.
On Sunday, the police began to piece together the events that led to the shooting, which Bryant Park officials characterized as an aberration. Indeed, while there have been shootings in or near roller-skating rinks in New York City, no one could recall a recent shooting at an ice-skating rink.
The shooting happened just after 11 p.m., and was apparently precipitated by an attempted robbery just outside the rink. The police said that a gunman had approached Javier Contreras, 20, and demanded his winter jacket, believed to be a Marmot Mammoth, commonly referred to as a “Biggie.”
Mr. Contreras refused to hand over his coat, the police said, and the suspect left. It was not clear if the men knew each other, the police said.
But minutes later, the suspect returned with a handgun and summoned Mr. Contreras to him before opening fire, the police said. One bullet hit Mr. Contreras, one spun off harmlessly, and a third slammed into the torso of a 14-year-old skater, identified by the police as Adonis Mera. The two wounded skaters were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where they were listed in stable condition.
The police on Sunday took a 16-year-old boy from the Bronx into custody in connection with the shooting. Witnesses identified the teenager as the gunman, the police said, and charges were pending.
Danielle Behrens, 21, was on the ice when she heard the shots.
“I processed it for about two seconds,” she said. But when she saw people dropping to the floor, she got into a crouch and skated off the rink. With her skates still on, she hustled into a bathroom stall. “I locked it,” she said. “I was physically shaking and praying.”
The rink has a capacity of about 500 skaters, and park officials said there were about 300 there when the shots were fired.
“Everybody ran,” Keshia Bowens, 24, said. “It was like a stampede.”
Christopher Guerrero, 19, who was on the ice at the time, said he knew Adonis, the 14-year-old victim, from their neighborhood near 160th Street in Manhattan.
“I didn’t see no blood,” Mr. Guerrero said. “I asked, ‘Are you O.K.?’ and he said, ‘I can’t feel my legs.’ ”
Dozens of police officers ran onto the ice, accompanied by paramedics. A young woman with long hair wailed, clutching a metal police barricade just outside the rink.
“My brother just got shot in front of my face!” she moaned as a friend tried to comfort her.
The Bryant Park site is Manhattan’s only free skating rink, though skaters must rent skates if they do not have their own. The rink, which opened Nov. 1 and is a popular destination for tourists, is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Penn Bullock contributed reporting.
On Sunday, the police began to piece together the events that led to the shooting, which Bryant Park officials characterized as an aberration. Indeed, while there have been shootings in or near roller-skating rinks in New York City, no one could recall a recent shooting at an ice-skating rink.
The shooting happened just after 11 p.m., and was apparently precipitated by an attempted robbery just outside the rink. The police said that a gunman had approached Javier Contreras, 20, and demanded his winter jacket, believed to be a Marmot Mammoth, commonly referred to as a “Biggie.”
Mr. Contreras refused to hand over his coat, the police said, and the suspect left. It was not clear if the men knew each other, the police said.
But minutes later, the suspect returned with a handgun and summoned Mr. Contreras to him before opening fire, the police said. One bullet hit Mr. Contreras, one spun off harmlessly, and a third slammed into the torso of a 14-year-old skater, identified by the police as Adonis Mera. The two wounded skaters were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where they were listed in stable condition.
The police on Sunday took a 16-year-old boy from the Bronx into custody in connection with the shooting. Witnesses identified the teenager as the gunman, the police said, and charges were pending.
Danielle Behrens, 21, was on the ice when she heard the shots.
“I processed it for about two seconds,” she said. But when she saw people dropping to the floor, she got into a crouch and skated off the rink. With her skates still on, she hustled into a bathroom stall. “I locked it,” she said. “I was physically shaking and praying.”
The rink has a capacity of about 500 skaters, and park officials said there were about 300 there when the shots were fired.
“Everybody ran,” Keshia Bowens, 24, said. “It was like a stampede.”
Christopher Guerrero, 19, who was on the ice at the time, said he knew Adonis, the 14-year-old victim, from their neighborhood near 160th Street in Manhattan.
“I didn’t see no blood,” Mr. Guerrero said. “I asked, ‘Are you O.K.?’ and he said, ‘I can’t feel my legs.’ ”
Dozens of police officers ran onto the ice, accompanied by paramedics. A young woman with long hair wailed, clutching a metal police barricade just outside the rink.
“My brother just got shot in front of my face!” she moaned as a friend tried to comfort her.
The Bryant Park site is Manhattan’s only free skating rink, though skaters must rent skates if they do not have their own. The rink, which opened Nov. 1 and is a popular destination for tourists, is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Penn Bullock contributed reporting.