A crew member for Law & Order: Organized Crime was shot and killed while working near the show’s New York City set early on Tuesday.
The crew member, who police identified on Tuesday afternoon as 31-year-old Johnny Pizarro of Queens, was sitting in his car in the Greenpoint neighbourhood of Brooklyn, when an unidentified person approached the car at about 5.15am, opened the door, and shot him in the neck and head. No arrest has been made, and it is unclear if the two had a prior connection.
Mr Pizarro worked to clear parking spaces and guard equipment trucks for the show, which was preparing to film in the neighbourhood on Tuesday morning. He was taken to a local hospital after the shooting, where he was pronounced dead at about 6am.
“We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result,” NBC and producer Universal Television said in a statement. “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.”
According to law enforcement, it’s still unclear if Mr Pizarro was shot on the actual set, or if filming was supposed to occur at the site of the shooting, Deadline reported on Tuesday.
New York City mayor Eric Adams’s office offered condolences on Tuesday morning. “The safety of all New Yorkers is our top priority,” Fabien Levy, the mayor’s press secretary, told Deadline. “We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends, and coworkers during this difficult time, and will work diligently to bring the suspect to justice and stem the tide of gun violence we are seeing.”
Law & Order: Organized Crime, which will air its third season in the fall, stars Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler, formerly of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. It is one of three Law & Order shows for NBC, all of which film on location in New York. — Guardian