5 suspects sought in robbery, fatal shooting of man in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Kemberly Richardson Image
Monday, September 4, 2023
5 suspects sought in fatal shooting of Brooklyn man
Police are investigating after a man was fatally shot in the head in Brooklyn. Kemberly Richardson has the details.

BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- It was a struggle to the very end.

Surveillance video shows a group surrounding, beating and robbing Javier Sanchez, at 4 a.m. Sunday on Myrtle Avenue in Bushwick.

And initially Javier did fight back.

But then one of the five suspects - a group police say includes a woman - pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing the 33-year-old.

Seconds after, you see that group running from the scene, one man has on a ski mask.

Javier lived just a block away, with relatives who tell me he came to the U.S. from Ecuador and worked in construction and at Uber.

He would regularly send money back home to his family, including his daughter.

"He got here exactly a year ago last week," said Javier's uncle, Pablo Tayupanta. "He's dealing with a debt that he's paying off, so he came here. He has a 5-year-old girl that is now an orphan."

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Javier was on his way home, walking along Myrtle Avenue, when he was shot and killed.

Pablo tells me when the suspects first approached his nephew they told him to hand over his wallet - which he did, but then they wanted his backpack.

Javier resisted because his passport and driver's license were inside.

Hours after the shooting, Pablo went to the hospital and confirmed the victim was Javier, a humble young man who was simply working hard, building a future for his family.

"He had dreams that unfortunately he couldn't accomplish," said Pablo. "We're heartbroken, and we need help sending his body back because we too are low income. We're trying to figure out how we can send the body back to his family in Ecuador."

No arrests have been made, as police continue to search for the four men and one woman in that surveillance video.

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