After a bodega worker on the Upper East Side was shot and killed during a robbery, a gunman wearing a hazmat suit may be linked to other robberies.
After a bodega worker on the Upper East Side was shot and killed during a robbery, a gunman wearing a hazmat suit may be linked to other robberies. (Photo: CBS News)
Detectives are investigating whether the bodega shooting suspect who shot and killed a bodega worker on the Upper East Side over the weekend is connected to four robberies across three boroughs.
On Friday, March 3, around 11:30 PM, the bodega shooting suspect entered Daona Deli on East 81st Street and Third Avenue and demanded money from an employee.
The gunman then shot the deli worker, 67, in the head. At the scene, the victim was pronounced dead.
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The gunman fled on a scooter south on Third Avenue, and police believe he was found about a half hour later in the Bronx, where he allegedly held up a Yaya Deli clerk at gunpoint.
That incident resulted in no injuries. The shooter fled from Melrose Avenue to 160th Street and is still on the loose.
The bodega shooting suspect was linked to both incidents because of his distinctive disguise – a white Tyvek hazmat suit and a black mask – and surveillance video from the Bronx holdup was released.
Detectives are now investigating whether he is responsible for other similar robberies, but they are having difficulty locating him due to the extent of his disguise.
A worker at the Super Deli Market at 627 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint was arrested on March 3.
A $15,000 reward is being offered, with $10,000 coming from the NYPD and $5,000 from the United Bodegas of America.
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