Suspect arrested in fatal hazmat suit shooting at Manhattan deli: NYPD
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- A suspect in the fatal shooting of a deli worker in Manhattan was arrested Thursday, NYPD officials said.
The gunman, who was wearing a hazmat suit, walked into a deli near East 81st Street and Third Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Friday and fatally shot a 67-year-old worker in the head during a robbery, authorities said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the suspect is connected to three other armed robberies throughout New York City. Investigators described it as a three-borough robbery spree from Feb. 25 to March 3, ending with the shooting death of the 67-year-old worker at Daona deli in Manhattan.
In another incident, a deli on Melrose Avenue near East 160th Street in the Bronx was robbed at gunpoint by a man in a white hazmat suit and a face mask, officials said.
The worker handed over about $1,200, cigarettes, and assorted merchandise, and the crook fled on a scooter, police said. No one was injured in the Bronx incident.
Police used a Crime Stoppers tip and surveillance video to track down the 39-year-old suspect, who was arrested in the Bronx, authorities said. Charges are pending against the suspect.
"I particularly want to thank the public for its help. This tip was very instrumental in the apprehension of this violent person," said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
At a press conference Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams commended the NYPD's work to track down the suspect, but he said police would have been able to catch him days earlier if he hadn't been wearing a face mask.
"That police work was made harder with this," Adams said, holding up a face mask. "Face masks protected us from COVID but is really allowing criminals to exploit this. We can have public safety and health. They go together."