REVEALED: Marine, 21, shot in back by CD peddler's stray bullet in Times Square is the newlywed son-in-law of counter-terrorism chief
A young Marine who was shot in the back in Times Square by a stray bullet has been revealed as the newlywed son-in-law of a former Pentagon official.
Samuel Poulin, 21, married Jacqueline Jensen - daughter of retired U.S. Army Col. Jack Jensen - on May 22 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Photos posted to social media of the big event shows Jacqueline, 23, being escorted down the aisle by her proud father before joining her now-husband Poulin, who is currently recovering in hospital after the random shooting on Sunday.
Jack Jensen served more than 30 years as a member of the Armed Special Forces and was commander of the United States Central Command's Special Operations command in Lebanon from 2011 to 2012, according to his LinkedIn.
He then spent two years as an assistant deputy director for counterterrorism under the Joint Chief of Staff, briefing White House officials and members of Congress on operations as well as 'orchestrating national command and control and strategic nuclear watch.'
Jensen retired in 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile, and worked for a short time as a private sector analyst before being hired by the Treasury Department, where he is now the principal director for policy and strategy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Management.
Poulin, meanwhile, graduated from The Citadel military academy in Charleston, South Carolina last month.
Samuel Poulin, 21, married Jacqueline Jensen, 23, on May 22 in North Carolina
He is now the son-in-law of U.S. Army Col. Jack Jensen, right
He was walking with his family at the time when he was struck by a bullet at around 5:15pm
He was a member of the Marine Corps ROTC, and in April, he received the Daughters of the American Revolution Award, which is awarded to one cadet from each ROTC unit who 'demonstrates the qualities of dependability and good character, leadership ability and a fundamental and patriotic understanding of the importance of ROTC training,' The Citadel's website says.
He also received a bachelor's degree in physics.
Citadel President Glenn Walters, a retired Marine Corps general said that Poulin 'was a President's List cadet and exemplifies the kind of principled leader The Citadel strives to produce.'
'The Citadel family - in Charleston, South Carolina and around the world - is greatly saddened to learn what happened to our Class of 2021 graduate, 2nd Lt. Samuel Poulin in Times Square on Sunday when he was hit by a bullet from a shooting event unrelated to him,' Walters wrote in a tweet.
'We are encouraged that he is reported to be in stable condition,' and we are 'sending our prayers to his new wife and family.'
Poulin, who was visiting the city from Northville in upstate New York to attend a baptism, was walking with his family Sunday night when he was stuck by a bullet.
He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is stable, police report.
Poulin is a recent graduate of The Citadel military academy in South Carolina
Citadel President Glenn Walters wrote in a tweet that the school is 'sending our prayers and our love to his new wife and his family'
Jensen, right, served more than 30 years as a member of the Armed Special Forces and was commander of the United States Central Command's Special Operations command in Lebanon from 2011 to 2012, according to his LinkedIn
Police said the shooting broke out at around 5.15pm when a group of five or six CD vendors started arguing under the Marriott Marquis sign on West 45th Street, and one pulled out a gun.
An investigation is still underway and the mayor launched a new plan starting immediately to increase police patrols at the iconic tourist attraction.
Surveillance footage released by the New York Police Department Mondays shows a man in a mostly red sweater walking backwards on a sidewalk at around 5.15pm.
As he shoots, nearby pedestrians run for their lives. The gunman can then be seen fleeing the scene, eastbound, toward Sixth Avenue.
New surveillance footage shows the moment a man opened fire in Times Square Sunday night
The New York Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying this man, caught on surveillance footage shooting at someone and fleeing from the scene
Tourists were left shocked and frightened by the random shooting.
A small group watched as crime scene tape was used to block the area; one police officer told a tourist that it wasn't 'a show' and that someone had been shot.
Shell casings were recovered on West 45th Street outside the Minskoff Theater, which remains closed because of COVID.
'We were sitting at Juniors when a loud pop happened. And everybody ran for the hotel, they ran inside,' said Santana who witnesses the shooting, to the New York Post.
'It really is bad that [the shooting] happened in Times Square,' Santana said.
A man was shot in New York's Times Square in broad daylight, on Sunday afternoon, just outside the Marriott Hotel
Officers cordoned off the area immediately outside the hotel where the shooting took place
A small group of people watched as crime scene tape was stretched around the area. One officer told a tourist that it wasn't 'a show' and that someone had been shot
Crime scene techs can be seen working close to where Sunday evening's shooting happened in Times Square
Law enforcement flooded the area outside the Marriott, which is normally thronging with tourist
A small group of interested passers-by gathered to watch what was happening
Sunday evening's shooting is the second in Times Square in little over a month and comes just as the city is welcoming tourists back to one of its most famous landmarks.
Three bystanders were struck by gunfire in May, including a four-year-old child.
The alleged gunman responsible for the May shooting was apprehended days later in Florida after fleeing the city.
On Monday, Mayor Bill De Blasio said he is increasing police presence in the area.
'Now, we've seen patterns in Times Square that we are going to address very, very aggressively,' he said in a news conference, introducing his new Times Square Safety Plan.
The plan would include the deployment of 50 more officers to the area 'to make sure that anyone who goes to Times Square knows they're safe.'
The plan, which went into effect immediately after Sunday's shooting, includes the deployment of 'dozens' more police officers, some of whom will be plainclothes, to engage with street vendors.
They would ensure the vendors are not engaging in 'aggressive panhandling,' NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison said, and would make sure they are not threatening pedestrians.
It would be in addition to the officers the NYPD previously deployed to the area last month, De Blasio said.
'We are going to flood the area with additional police officers,' De Blasio said, adding later: 'There's no question in my mind this is going to work.'
Statistics show shooting crimes have been up this year city-wide compared to last year
Crime rates in New York City are up from last year in every category
Meanwhile, crime rates in every category are up from last year.
As of June 20, 777 people have been shot throughout New York City in 680 shootings in 2021, according to department crime figures online.
That is an increase of 48 percent in the number of victims compared with the same time last year, in 53 percent more shootings which have skyrocketed since the pandemic gripped the country.
