A woman has been shot dead after an argument over a groping incident broke out at a rooftop bar.
Erica Lopez, 19, had been out celebrating a friend's birthday on Thursday night in Manhattan, New York with her boyfriend Andres Arias, 21.
But the evening ended with a gunman opening fire on the couple in the early hours, after they confronted a woman who allegedly touched Erica's bottom and groped another of their female friends.
Andres, a student at Southern Connecticut State University, told the Mail he believes his girlfriend saved his life by shoving him out of harm's way.
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He was left injured after the bullet which claimed her life grazed the left side of his ribs, and then lost consciousness as he desperately tried to give her CPR, Mail Online reports.
The couple were then rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where Erica died a short while later.
Andres has since been discharged from hospital and is now recovering from his injuries at home.
Paying tribute to his girlfriend, Andres described her as an "amazing woman".
"She would always bring the good out of me and she would never fail to put a smile on my face," he said.
On the night of the shooting, the pair, who lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, where Erica worked in as a restaurant hostess, had taken a train into the city for a night out.
They met up with a group of around 10 friends in the Flatiron District, including Andres's cousin and boyfriend, who was turning 27.
When they got to the bar, they began chatting to a group of about six other young men and women.
He recalls how despite never having met before, the group were having a "really good time" together and even bought each other drinks and food.
However, tensions escalated after Andres confronted a "drunk" woman who inappropriately touched Erica and a friend without their consent.
As they left the bar discussing the incident at around 12.30am, they realised they were being followed.
"That's when we see one guy get out of his car and he's confronting us and saying, 'do we have a problem here? I hear you guys are talking smack about us,'" Andres continued.
He went on to recall how the driver of a second vehicle then fired two shots in their direction.
"I saw my girlfriend Erica falling to the ground, and I dove to grab her so she didn't hit her head," he said.
Police were called to the scene and are currently investigating the incident.
No arrests had been made as of Friday night.
