Life imitated art on a Brooklyn street Tuesday morning when a gunman executed a 31-year-old man who was apparently enforcing a no-parking zone for the upcoming “Law & Order: Organized Crime” shooting. , it was reported.
Police said the fatal shooting happened around 5:23 a.m. July 19 in front of an apartment building on North Henry Street off Norman Avenue in Greenpoint.
According to WABC-TV, the victim — Johnny Pizarro, 31, a production assistant from Palmetto Street in Ridgewood, Queens — was fatally shot while holding parking spaces on North Henry Street in preparation for filming of the hit NBC crime drama franchise. for history. “Ripped from the headlines”.
A police source familiar with the case said the victim was obeying no-parking regulations on the block before the shooting.
Officers from Area 94responding to reports of shots fired, found Pizarro shot in the face and neck.
After a preliminary investigation, authorities said, detectives determined Pizarro was sitting inside a parked vehicle when the unidentified gunman walked up, opened the driver’s side door of the vehicle and began shooting.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown and under investigation, police sources said. Pizarro is believed to have been the shooter’s intended target, a source familiar with the matter said.
EMS took Pizarro to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Detectives are still searching for the gunman, who was described as a man with a medium build and slim build, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.
Throughout the day Tuesday, real-life detectives scoured North Henry Street, looking for evidence and potential witnesses to the murder.
A resident of the neighborhood said that local drivers are constantly accompanied by film and television production companies that frequent the area and close blocks to park their vehicles and related equipment.
“It’s a battle between the manufacturing companies and trying to find parking,” the resident said. “They put up signs all the time, production companies put them up all the time. I’m upset that this happened to a production assistant.”
NBC and Universal Television released a statement Tuesday mourning the missing crew member: “We were extremely saddened and shocked to learn that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result. We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time.”
Anyone with information about the homicide can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, call 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @NYPDTip. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
With reporting by Lloyd Mitchell
Updated July 19 at 1:50 p.m
