© 2026 ABC News

Times Square is one of the most heavily protected areas in the country. Even on a normal day, a large presence of officers can be seen roaming the area.

\"All of a sudden I heard this kind of muffled 'pop' and said, 'What was that?' and I looked over and there was a sea of people running,\" witness Dylan Probert told New York ABC station WABC.

People fleeing and hiding from #timessquare after suspected live shooter #NewYork we caught this from our hotel bar 10th floor #police confirmed this was not a live shooter #timessquare #NYC pic.twitter.com/IKfagFbtzy

— The Daniels Group (@DanielsGrp) August 7, 2019

The NYPD said it received multiple 911 calls about the incident.

Six people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the FDNY.

Shoppers at Disney's flagship store were herded into the back as a precaution, one shopper shared on Twitter.

At the Disney Store in Times Square when a backfiring motorcycle was mistaken for gunfire. Staff kept all customers safe and were clearly well prepared. pic.twitter.com/e4A38Fzjw6

— Jasper Lam (@JasperLam_TD) August 7, 2019

A shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 22 people and injuries to more than two dozen other shoppers. A man was taken into custody in the shooting. He told told police he was targeting Mexicans, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Just about 14 hours later a man opened fire outside a bar in downtown Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people, including his sister. The suspect shooter was fatally killed by police, who were patrolling the area, in less than a minute.

Both shooters were using semi-automatic rifles.

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