Gunman Killed by Off-Duty Cop at 344 Broome St. c. 1942 - 1969

This photograph by Weegee captures a stark moment on Broome Street. It’s right there, bam, in your face—crime scene photography at its most raw. I look at this and think about Weegee, out there in the dead of night with his Speed Graphic camera, rushing to capture these scenes. I imagine him thinking, "Gotta get the shot!" I wonder what he's feeling at that moment, the adrenaline mixed with, maybe, a touch of melancholy. The flash illuminates the grim reality: the body, the gun, the unforgiving concrete. It’s about light and shadow, but it’s also about life and death, seen without any filter. Weegee reminds me of other artists documenting the city’s underbelly. I'm thinking of Jacob Riis, who also used photography as a tool to expose uncomfortable truths. It’s this back-and-forth—artists responding to artists, each adding a layer to our understanding of the world. It's unsettling, but also an important reminder to look closely and not turn away.