NEW YORK – A person of interest is being questioned in connection with the shooting death of a Manhattan bodega employee and a series of other armed robberies in other boroughs over the past month, officials said Thursday. three police sources familiar with the law. of the investigation.
New York Police Chief of Detectives James Essig confirmed Thursday that the suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was seen in surveillance footage throwing painter-style coveralls behind a building at one point. given after he allegedly robbed a grocery store in the Bronx, which police say was 22 minutes after he allegedly killed the Upper East Side employee.
The suit was picked up Tuesday evening about half a mile from another caterer, Essig said, and was being processed.
The suspect has been wanted in four New York deli robberies since late February, although it was only last Friday night that he was found to be fatal. Authorities did not identify the 67-year-old victim in what they called a “horrific murder”, but described him as part of the community of East 81st Street there Third Ave.
Those who left notes at a growing memorial knew the man as “Michael.”
A witness who was in the store around 11:30 p.m. that night and escaped the terrifying moment told police the shooter entered wearing a full ensemble, the kind of white outfit you’d see a painter wear at the work, and a black mask to hide his face.
The witness said the shooter pointed his gun at the witness, then ordered the person to lie down and empty his pockets. The suspect then turned his attention to the employee and began hitting him with the butt of the gun. While this attack was unfolding, police said the witness fled from the warehouse.
Once outside, the witness reported hearing a gunshot, according to the NYPD. The clerk was found dead behind the counter with a single bullet to the head. The shooter was seen fleeing the scene on a dark scooter.
Senior NYPD officials say it is the same outfit and vehicle allegedly used by the same man in three other robberies, two before the deadly Manhattan robbery and then the one in the Bronx shortly after the murder of the Upper East Side.
The two crimes that set the pattern happened in Brooklyn. In the first case, on Saturday February 25, police say they believe the same shooter entered the store. Bagels at Sunset In Avenue Foster, he took out a sum of cash and cell phones and fled from the store on a dark scooter. He was again wearing the black mask and painter’s overalls.
A few days later, on March 1, he reportedly entered the Super Deli in Manhattan Avenue, this time late morning and pretended to make a purchase. He then showed the gun, advertised a robbery, and stole cigarettes and cash before driving off on the scooter. The Bronx grocery store heist Friday night after the Manhattan shooting was similar to this.
In total, police say the Hazmat-suited thief stole more than $3,000 in cash. None of the other robberies involved fatal violence, and the NYPD says it understands how the shooting and the serial robber on the loose are rocking the community.
“‘We stand in solidarity with the thousands of hardworking New Yorkers who make a living in our neighborhood bodegas,'” NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban said from the scene last week.
“We are all outraged by this act of violence. Each of us here grew up in this city. We know what the neighborhood bodega means. For some of us, it was like an extension of our living rooms. The employee behind the counter was like family. I’m not surprised people left cards, candles and flowers here,” Caban said.
Mayor Eric Adams stepped in earlier this week, imploring all business owners to ask customers to remove their masks before entering.
“Let’s be clear: some of these characters who walk into stores with a mask on, they’re not doing it because they’re scared of the pandemic,” Adams said, adding that lowering the masks would allow cameras to get better faces video. .
The union that represents many of the city’s wineries has also been pushing for a change to the mask policy at all wineries, at the very least temporarily lowering the masks so they can see customers entering. Some stores may also consider installing doorbells.