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New York: A Bangladeshi taxi driver was shot and injured while attempting to calm an altercation following a minor traffic collision in New York City’s Brooklyn borough early Friday, police and community members said.
The victim, Ruhul Amin Nasir, 53, was dropping off passengers near Auburn Place and North Portland Avenue in Fort Greene when another vehicle struck his taxi from behind.
According to police, Nasir got out of the cab to inspect the damage. A heated argument then broke out between the driver of the other vehicle and one of Nasir’s passengers.
As Nasir tried to defuse the situation, a man from a nearby building suddenly opened fire, striking him on the right side of his face.
Nasir was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries.
His friend Shah Alam said on Saturday evening that Nasir remains hospitalised but is receiving treatment. Police said his condition is now stable and he is expected to recover.
Nasir previously served as secretary of the Probashi Barishal Divisional Welfare Association. Shah Alam, an adviser to the organisation, said members of the Bangladeshi community have been closely monitoring his condition but are frustrated that the gunman had not been arrested more than a day after the shooting.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of taxi drivers in New York, where attacks on drivers while on duty have become increasingly common.
Fernando Mateo, spokesperson for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, condemned the shooting, saying drivers are risking their lives to earn a living while armed attackers often escape without being identified.
He called for mandatory surveillance cameras in every taxi in New York City to help police quickly identify suspects involved in attacks on drivers.
According to the federation, the shooting of Nasir is the second incident in two weeks in which an on-duty taxi driver has been shot. Earlier this month, Pakistani driver Danish Sarwar was shot in Brooklyn and left paralysed.