Yahoo TV

Three people including a four-year-old girl were shot in New York City's Times Square on Saturday.

Gunfire broke out in a dispute that they were apparently not involved in.

That's according to the city's top law enforcement official, Dermot Shea.

"It appears at this point in time the three individuals that are shot are not known to each other. And it appears that all three are innocent bystanders."

Shea said the police were investigating one person of interest, but added no details to the context of the dispute, which broke out just before 5 p.m.

The three victims were a four-year-old girl, a 23-year-old tourist from Rhode Island, and a 43-year-old woman from New Jersey.

Shea did not provide an update on their conditions.

Crime rates have jumped in New York and other American cities in the past year, but explanations for the surge vary.