Overview
- Two separate robberies that turned fatal left a 44-year-old worker dead in a Brownsville Brooklyn restaurant and a 33-year-old customer dead at a South Bronx deli after gunmen opened fire inside the stores on Aug. 23 and Aug. 25, according to police reports.
- Police have identified 31-year-old Jesus Acosta of the Bronx as the suspect in both attacks and released his physical description and tattoos, including the word “Bronx” on his hand and “Bobby” on his left forearm.
- Investigators are relying on surveillance video showing the deli shooting, a discarded sweatshirt found near the Bronx scene and reports that the gunman rifled the register, and the FBI has posted a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest.
- No arrests have been made and the NYPD is conducting an active manhunt across the city while urging the public to contact Crime Stoppers with tips; local bodega groups have added private rewards and offered information to police.
- The killings have prompted bodega owners and unions to demand more safety measures such as panic buttons and stiffer illegal-gun penalties, and have refocused public scrutiny on parole supervision after Acosta’s release from prison in April following roughly 10 years behind bars.