New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd was shot and critically hurt outside a hotspot Midtown restaurant early Sunday.
The 29-year-old NFL player was shot in the abdomen outside Sei Less on W. 38th St. near Seventh Ave. at about 2 a.m., according to law enforcement sources. Medics rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition.
Boyd’s grandmother, Christine Portley, said she was too upset to speak when reached by phone on Sunday. “Pray for him,” she pleaded.
Cops said the shooting happened during a dispute outside the Asian Fusion “speakeasy” popular with celebrities, including athletes, rappers and Mayor Adams.
Surveillance footage seen by cops shows a small group of men and at least one woman get startled and start running, a law enforcement source said. Boyd is among the group that scattered, but he then drops to the ground, the source said.
Police sources said the dispute started among a group of men outside the restaurant and that Boyd was hit by one of two shots fired.
Investigators are still trying to determine if he was the intended target, the sources said.
“We are aware of the situation involving Kris Boyd and will have no further comment at this time,” the NFL said in a statement.
Video posted to social media shows police officers working on a shooting victim on the pavement about a half-block from the restaurant as traffic passes by them and onlookers record on their phones.
“What happened?” a man can be heard saying off-screen, followed by the response, “Yo, he got shot.”
An ambulance arrives and cops and paramedics wheel him into it on a gurney. A woman can be seen leaning into the ambulance’s back doors at one point.
Police have made no arrests.
Boyd’s teammates took to social media to express support and solicit prayers for his recovery.
“Everybody please send prayers to my brother and teammate Kris Boyd and his family!!!” Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson posted on X.
“Guide every doctor, nurse, and surgeon who touches him lord,” Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips also posted on the platform. “Give his family strength! Kris is a fighter and we’re all here for him.”
Boyd joined the Jets this year after signing a $1.6 million one-year contract but never took the field after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Before signing with the Jets, he played with the Minnesota Viking for four years, followed by a year with the Arizona Cardinals and two with Houston Texans.
Sei Less’ owners did not return messages seeking comment Sunday.
One of the co-owners, Dara Mirjahangiry, said in a 2023 interview with “Good Morning America” that he opened the restaurant because “New York City needed a new cultural hotspot.”
“Diddy was here a couple of weeks ago, and he bought DeLeon [tequila] shots for the whole restaurant,” he added.
The restaurant featured heavily in rapper Fabolous’ 2022 music video for his track, “Say Less.”
“Every night when we get off, this place is packed with million dollar cars,” said Ja Moore, 30, who works nearby. “It’s always nicely dressed people. … This whole block, every day, I’m always surprised. Teslas, Porsches, Lamborghinis.”
She was surprised to hear an NFL player was shot but added, “It would make sense he would be over here. It’s very low-key. This is the Fashion District.”
The shooting comes amid a sharp decline in major crimes across New York City, which has seen a nearly 23% drop in shootings this year, with 618 incidents through Nov. 9, compared with 801 in the same timeframe last year. Homicides have dropped this year more than 19%, with 274 slayings through Nov. 9 compared with 339 by this point last year.
The Midtown South Precinct, which includes Sei Less, has also seen drops in crime, with two shootings and two homicides through Nov. 9 compared with six shootings and four homicides in the same timeframe 2024.
With Rebecca White and Roni Jacobson
