NYPD footage shows man repeatedly shoot and pistol-whip 'friend' in row over music video

A video has been released by police of a man being repeatedly shot and 'pistol-whipped' in a New York grocery store.

The footage, taken from the shop’s CCTV in the early hours of Saturday morning, shows a 37-year-old man being shot five times before being hit around the head with the gun as he lies on the floor.

According to the owner of the shop on Webster Avenue in the Bronx, the two men were arguing over who the star was of a rap video that they had been filming outside.

After words were exchanged between the two, one of the men, who is believed to be in his early thirties, pulls out a handgun.

Shop owner Ali Abdul said: "They were fighting over who’s the star, who’s better. They were drunk. They spit [sic] at each other, then one guy pulled out a gun and shot the other guy five times."

After the shooting, the perpetrator, who is holding a drink throughout the attack, can be seen stepping over the victim and leaving the store, quickly followed by five people.

Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after the attack and were able to transport the victim to the nearby Lincoln Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

Police have appealed for anyone that might have any information to come forward and hope releasing the footage may help them with their enquiries.

The number of victims shot in the city of New York has skyrocketed this year. 129 people were shot in May - 43.3 percent more than for the same period last year, according to the latest NYPD figures seen by the New York Post.

The city's authorities have attempted to tackle gun crime with various initiatives, including Operation SNUG, which sees mentors with real-life street experience placed into neighborhoods affected by violence.