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

Weegee made this photograph of a gunman killed by an off-duty cop at 344 Broome St. It is a direct, stark photograph. You can see the graininess of the image, and that makes it feel almost tactile. You can sense the texture of the concrete and the way the light catches on the slick metal of the gun. Look at the space around the body, how it leads your eye from the gun to the dark stain on the ground by the man's face, then up to the wall and into the darkness. There's an undeniable urgency, like the image was snatched from a moment that then immediately vanished. It reminds me a bit of some of Goya’s darker etchings, but with a gritty, urban edge. And, like Goya, it’s not about answers but about staring into the abyss and holding the gaze.