Three people were shot and wounded in New York’s Times Square, the New York Police Department said on Saturday.

The people – a woman aged 18 and two men aged 65 and 19 – are in a stable condition in hospital, an NYPD spokesperson said.

A 17-year-old male is in custody, the NYPD added. The police also recovered a firearm.

The shooting took place at around 1.20am ET (5.20am GMT) and followed a verbal altercation with one of the victims, the NYPD added. It said it was not known at this time whether the shooter or the victims knew each other.

Mass shootings are relatively common in the United States, where guns are widely available.

The incident at one of New York’s most iconic tourist spots comes after July’s high-profile shooting in a Manhattan office tower, which left four people dead including a senior Blackstone executive and an NYPD officer.

New York experienced record-low shooting incidents and victims in the first seven months of this year, and in July, according to a statement published by the city’s police department on August 4.

Crime is a key electoral issue for America’s largest city, which is set to hold mayoral elections in November.