Teen Shot by Clerk at UES Smoke Shop During Argument, Gunman Flees Scene

A clerk at a smoke shop on the UES allegedly shot wildly at a group of teens during an in-store argument, hitting a 15 year-old boy in the foot. The injured teen was transported to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center after police arrived, where he was deemed in stable condition.

The gunman fled the scene and is still being sought for questioning by police, who say an investigation is ongoing. He has not been identified. No arrests have been made, although a bullet fragment has been recovered. The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6.

According to surveillance footage viewed by The Daily News, the teens had reportedly attempted to jump over the counter during a back-and-forth at Smile Smoke, a recently opened weed shop located at 1031 Third Ave. Police had no details on the source of the argument.

Smile Smoke appears to inhabit a space that was recently used by the Smile Direct Club, which is a dentistry business. The latter operation has now moved to 59th St., as confirmed in an interview with a Smile Direct employee. Contact info for Smile Smoke could not be found at press time. There is no publicly available information linking the two businesses other than a name.

Smile Smoke is not on a list of fully-licensed dispensaries maintained by New York’s Office of Cannabis Management. There are only six truly licensed weed shops in Manhattan.