A local baseball player who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics last year is in a coma after he was critically injured in a drive-by shooting in Yonkers.
Police say 23-year-old Michael Nolan, of Yonkers, was shot at around 12:30 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Burger King on Central Avenue, across from the Cross County Shopping Center. They say Nolan and a few friends were standing in the lot when a car, described as a pale or yellow 2000-2007 Honda, suddenly pulled up on the service road and opened fire.
Nolan is currently in critical condition at the hospital. Family and friend have gathered by his bedside in prayer.
The victim's father says his son was hit once in the head and once in the arm. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, but his father tells News 12 it doesn't look good.
"I don't want to have to say it, but I might have to make that decision about donating his organs, this is what I have to do now," says Jimmy Nolan, who was previously profiled by News 12 for his tireless work as a Sept. 11 rescue worker.
Nolan's mother, Donna, took to social media to thank the Yonkers community for their continued support.
"I want to thank all who texted, called, Facebooked and Instagrammed. You can never imagine how much my family and I appreciate it," she said. "I'm asking all... please keep Michael in your prayers and help bring the person or persons who did this to the Yonkers Police."
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Police Commissioner Charles Gardner visited Nolan in the intensive care unit.
"This is particularly personal," Spano says. "No parent should be going through what they're going through."
Gardner says the shooting may have stemmed from a prior drag-racing incident earlier in the week, and also says the shooting was not a random act. There is no word yet on whether Nolan was the intended target.
Detectives say they have some good leads since there were a few witnesses, and they are looking at surveillance video and license-plate readers.
Nolan is a graduate of Saunders Trades and Technical High School, where he was a talented baseball player. Injuries had sidelined Nolan for much of his time in the Athletics' farm system, and he is on the team's restricted list. His younger brother is a junior at the high school.
Police say they are on the hunt for Nolan's shooter. Anyone with information is urged to call the Yonkers Police Department at 914-377-7900.