Stray bullet hits Kansas City man visiting NYC. ‘Great time until this happened’

A Kansas City man was hit by a stray bullet while visiting New York City, police say.

“I was having such a great time until this happened,” Chris Ruby, 44, told WABC.

Ruby had watched the New York Mets play the Philadelphia Phillies as part of his dream to see a baseball game in every stadium before he was shot Wednesday morning, the news outlet reported.

The bullet struck Ruby in the shoulder as he was walking in Midtown Manhattan near Times Square, police say.

Ruby said he felt pain after seeing the shooter pull a trigger and went to a nearby smoke shop for help, WABC reported.

“I took off my jacket, and there was blood everywhere,” Ruby told WABC said. “It was really bad.”

Brannovan Martinez, 21, was arrested on charges of assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. He’s accused of shooting at a rival on a street corner, the New York Daily News reported.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the shooting “won’t be tolerated” during a Wednesday news conference.

“I believe we’ve seen a serious uptick in gun violence that has to be addressed,” de Blasio said. “It’s going to be addressed. It is being addressed by more gun arrests, by deeper work with communities.”

Ruby was returning to Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m just ready to go home,” he told WABC. “I was in the hospital for five hours and then the police station for two or three ... All those New York souvenirs I have, I don’t want to look at them.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Stray bullet hits Kansas City man visiting NYC. ‘Great time until this happened’."