The suspect who shot a Bronx bodega customer on Tuesday morning during a violent robbery is also wanted for a deadly shooting in Brooklyn over the weekend, police reported on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
The suspect wanted for allegedly shooting two men to death in separate robbery attempts in Brooklyn and the Bronx earlier this month was taken into custody on Saturday.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, Jesus Acosta was taken into custody at around 10:50 a.m. on Aug. 29 and is being questioned in the 43rd Precinct. The exact nature of where and how he was apprehended was not immediately available.
Acosta was allegedly caught on camera entering the 149 Grill and Deli at 143 East 149th St. in the South Bronx at about 12:15 a.m. on Aug. 25. During the robbery bid, he allegedly opened fire, striking a 33-year-old Tayvon Shuler, a patron in the right arm; the bullet wound up stuck in the victim’s chest.
Surveillance footage appeared to show Acosta allegedly emptying out the cash register following the shooting. Meanwhile, Shuler later died at Lincoln Hospital.
Later that morning, police recovered what they believed to be the red sweater Acosta wore during the crime, discarded nearby.
The news came as cops in the Bronx discovered a discarded red hooded sweatshirt on Tuesday morning that they believe had been worn by the perpetrator. Cops flocked around the discarded item of clothing on Walton Avenue between East 149th and 150th Streets, not far from where the shooting took place.Photo by Dean Moses
Police sources also say detectives later allegedly tied Acosta to another robbery and fatal shooting at a bodega at 842 Rockaway Ave. days on Aug. 23.
Officers from the 73rd Precinct responded and found the victims, which included a 44-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head and a 39-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the leg.
EMS responded and transported both victims to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where the 44-year-old male was later pronounced deceased; He has been identified as MD Yousuf. The 39-year-old male victim, meanwhile, was listed in stable condition.
Sources said Acosta is no stranger to the criminal justice system; he previously served 10 years in person, and has 13 prior arrests on his record. He was on parole at the time of the crimes.
This is a developing story, check back with amNewYork for updates.