Friends recall moments before Harlem grandmother was killed: ‘Did you get shot?’ ‘Yes’

NEW YORK - A 69-year-old grandmother was killed by a stray bullet in East Harlem on Wednesday afternoon while crossing the street with a friend. 

The NYPD says they are still looking for three suspects involved in the shooting.

What happened in East Harlem shooting

According to investigators, two men tried to mug another man near Park Avenue. That man pulled out a gun and opened fire.

What we know:

Police say Robin Wright, 69, was struck in the face around 12:25 p.m. while standing with a friend at East 110th Street and Madison Avenue. Moments earlier, the two had picked up Chinese food when gunfire erupted a block away.

Wright’s friend said they saw a man running, and then shots rang out.

The suspects fled immediately, police said. 

Officers say the suspects were last seen wearing hoodies and black masks.

One of the bullets traveled nearly an entire city block before hitting Wright, who used a walker after recently being hospitalized for foot pain. 

Wright’s friend, Juanita Arnold, who had been out to lunch with her, described the terrifying moments leading up to her death.

"The gunshots went off six or seven times, and the next thing I turned around and my friend was on the ground," Arnold said. "I asked her, ‘Are you all right? Did you get shot?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’"

Another friend, Sonya Hampton, recalled seeing Wright on the ground after the shooting, "I just laid down next to her and held her hand." 

East Harlem residents call for change: ‘We need protection’

Neighbors described the scene as chaotic and heartbreaking. 

Local perspective:

Witness Crystal Grant told FOX 5 NY she saw Wright being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher as neighbors gathered around in prayer. "She was shot in the middle of gunfire," Grant said. 

She also called on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to do more to protect communities like East Harlem, saying, "When we lose our elderly, we lose our community."

Another neighbor said the timing made the shooting even more shocking. "For this to happen at 12 o’clock in the afternoon? It’s insane."

What we don't know:

It is still not clear what led to the confrontation on Park Avenue that set off the gunfire. 

The investigation remains ongoing.