The man suspected of shooting three people, including a 4-year-old girl, in Times Square on Saturday, was taken into custody in Northeast Florida on Wednesday.
Farrakhan Muhammad, the suspected shooter, was arrested by US Marshals in Starke, Florida, according to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office.
UPDATE: @NYPDDetectives have identified the suspected wanted in connection to the shooting in Times Square on Saturday, May 8th.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 11, 2021
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Farrakhan Muhammad please call @NYPDTips at #800577TIPS. He’s 31 years old, 5'6" and 160lbs.s pic.twitter.com/hneBxZzgbc
Police said one of the women shot was a 24-year-old tourist from Rhode Island, WPRI reported. The 4-year-old was from Brooklyn, New York, and the other woman shot was a 43-year-old from New Jersey, police said.
The New York City Police Department said in a Wednesday afternoon news conference that the victims are expected to make a full recovery.
Muhammad was taken into custody in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Starke. NYPD investigators said he was in the car, eating lunch at the time he was apprehended. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Kristine Vergara, who was believed to be driving the car, has been arrested on an accessory charge.
#UPDATE: Farrakhan Muhammad was arrested today at a McDonald's parking lot in Starke, FL.
— Jessica Barreto (@BarretoReports) May 12, 2021
A U.S. Marshal Officer told me he didn't resist arrest & they found him based on his car description & info from @NYPDnews that he and his girlfriend had family in the area. @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/VG87WcCj4W pic.twitter.com/5DWMWtvzuM
A U.S. Marshal officer told Action News Jax that Muhammad didn’t resist arrest and found him based on the description of his vehicle. NYPD also told Marshals that Muhammad and Vergara had family in the area.
NYPD said they used leads and facial recognition to confirm Muhammad’s identity.
They believe he was staying at a hotel near Times Square with Vergara at the time of the shooting.
The first sighting of him was in North Carolina. He was spotted on surveillance stopping at a Walmart in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He stopped for supplies, including dog food, NYPD said.
Investigators determined addresses in Florida where he may have been headed. Muhammad changed his appearance, including shaving his hair.
The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered yet. NYPD said the motive remains under investigation but Muhammad and the victim are CD vendor sellers, so that may tie into the motive.
Police say they are looking at aggressive selling, as vendors need to stay in the correct zone to sell. Muhammad’s brothers confirmed to investigators that he was the intended target of the shooting.
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