Cops have accused the gunman who killed a 19-year-old father-to-be while aiming at his ex-girlfriend—tthe victim’s aunt—iinside the woman’s East Harlem apartment, police said Friday.
Police charged Jose Rodriguez, 54, with murder, assault, and weapons possession following the shooting on Wednesday morning inside an apartment on E. 112th St. near Third Ave., which is a part of NYCHA’s Jefferson Houses.
Rodriguez, who is homeless, barged into ex-girlfriend Melidy Adega’s second-floor apartment at 3:30 a.m., pulled out a revolver, and began shooting, according to the shocked lady.
“He took out his gun and shot, pow, pow,” Adega, 38, told the Daily News on Thursday.
Victim Ramon Alvarez, who resided in the apartment, ran into the room to see what was going on, according to his aunt.
“[He] was getting up from sleep when he heard the commotion,” Adega went on to say. “[Rodriguez] shot my nephew first.” “He was shooting in the darkness.”
Rodriguez then turned and pointed the gun at Adega’s face, but the woman grabbed the barrel before he could fire a shot, she said. She got grazed on the shoulder.
When the medics arrived, Alvarez was awake and speaking. Authorities transferred him to Harlem Hospital, where he deteriorated and died.
Rodriguez fled on a bicycle, leaving the gun behind, according to officials. Cops apprehended him late Thursday. Police sources say he has 27 past arrests, 17 of which are felonies.
The Manhattan Criminal Court scheduled his arraignment for Friday.
Adega and Rodriguez had been dating on and off for almost four years before she quit their “abusive” relationship.
“He’d come over, and he started acting violent,” Adega said of the shooter. “When he said he was going to kill me, I never took it seriously.”
Alvarez and his partner were expecting a newborn boy next month and had planned to celebrate with a shower this weekend.
“She’s devastated,” Adega added about the victim’s girlfriend. “That’s their first child, and he’ll never even see the birth.”
The dead guy worked for the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and was pursuing a GED, according to the mother-to-be’s brother.
“He was going to be a great dad,” Dorian Lawrence said. “We’re all really hurt.
“I’m at a loss for words.”
