- Video captured a 37-year-old man getting shot in the face during a late-night robbery in Washington Heights
- The suspect was moments away from walking out with a bag full of money when he shot the victim at the Seafood King Fish Market
- Police described the suspect as about 5’5 with a medium complexion and was brandishing a blue handgun
New York City police are searching for a suspect who shot a man in the face during a late-night robbery of a seafood restaurant.
The victim, 37, was dining at the Seafood King Fish Market in Washington Heights just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday when the shooting happened, reported WABC.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect was just moments away from walking out of the store with a bag full of cash and cell phones when he decided to shoot the victim.
‘I don’t know if the victim saw it coming, the victim just had his property taken, cell phone and money while he was eating, and I’m sure he was watching the encounter with the second victim who was an employee at the location,’ said Lt. John Russo.
‘It just seemed as the perpetrator was running out the door, he turned around and fired a shot, striking the victim in the hood.’
Surveillance footage capture the moment a masked armed robber shot a man in a seafood restaurant in the face
![The suspect was moments away from leaving with a bag full of cash when he pulled the trigger](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/07/12/78677873-12835975-The_suspect_was_moments_away_from_leaving_with_a_bag_full_of_cas-a-1_1701952029737.jpg)
The suspect was moments away from leaving with a bag full of cash when he pulled the trigger
Witnesses said the suspect first sat at the counter and ordered food, then left the restaurant, came back in and went to the bathroom, then started the hold up.
The cashier had filled a plastic bag with cash from the restaurant and her cell phone when the suspect told her get down behind the counter before shooting the victim.
Police described the suspect as about 5’5 with a medium complexion and was said to have been wearing a black mask and black clothing. They also noted he was brandishing a blue handgun.
‘We’ve recovered one 9-millimeter shell casing at the scene,’ Russo said. ‘You know, we’ll forensically process that to see if it matches any of the shell casings on the face and that it doesn’t appear to fit any other robberies or patterns that we have going on in the area.’
The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in critical condition.
Manny Reyes, who grew up with the victim said: ‘It was shocking. He was eating and turns around to wipe his mouth shut and is shot. I hope they get guy who did it.’
![Police described the suspect as about 5'5 with a medium complexion and was brandishing a blue handgun](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/07/12/78677875-12835975-Police_described_the_suspect_as_about_5_5_with_a_medium_complexi-a-2_1701952029783.jpg)
Police described the suspect as about 5’5 with a medium complexion and was brandishing a blue handgun
![Residents in the Washington Heights neighborhood, where the restaurant is located, said they were shocked by the scene](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/07/12/78678077-12835975-Residents_in_the_Washington_Heights_neighborhood_where_the_resta-a-3_1701952029784.jpg)
Residents in the Washington Heights neighborhood, where the restaurant is located, said they were shocked by the scene
Neighborhood residents told PIX11 they were shocked by the scene and concerned about crime in the area.
‘Thirty years ago [the community] was very danger[ous], but something changed, for best. Now it’s coming back to being more dangerous,’ said Mirta Pina.
Longtime resident Gilbert Rivera said, ‘I’ve seen it go from the better to the worse, to the better. This is a return to the bad old days.’
Crime data from New York Police Department’s 33rd precinct – where the restaurant is located – shows burglary is up by 9.1 percent year to date.
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