Suspect charged in Burger King murder in East Harlem
EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- NYPD officials shared details on the investigation that led to the arrest of the gunman who killed a 19-year-old cashier at a Burger King in East Harlem.
During Friday's press conference, Chief of Detectives James Essig said Kristal Bayron-Nieves was trying to comply with the gunman's demands.
"She was murdered for no apparent reason," said Essig.
NYPD officials say that old-school detective techniques and new technology helped police find 30-year-old Winston Glynn.
Detectives tracked Glynn to a building on Patchen Avenue in Brooklyn where they arrested him.
The family of Kristal Bayron-Nieves was told of the break in the case.
Glynn has been charged with murder, two counts of robbery, criminal use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police walking Glynn from the 25th Precinct Friday
The night of the shooting after demanding money from the register, Glynn allegedly pistol-whipped the manager with the gun and also took the manager's phone.
He then apparently shot Bayron-Nieves as she struggled to get the register open.
Although most of his wardrobe at the time of the killing was non-descript, Glynn was spotted wearing a distinctive "Guess" belt by detectives during an extensive canvass of surveillance video.
Detectives were able to match the belt to one he was wearing on a picture he posted on Instagram.
Glynn was also linked by an EBT card he used after the fatal shooting.
Police released a security camera video from the Burger King:
He is believed to have fled the scene on a number 6 subway train, taking it from 116th St to 110th Street.
He walked into a bodega off 110th Street, and instead of using the proceeds from the robbery, bought a fruit drink using his EBT card.
Detectives got his name from the card and tracked him to a Days Inn near Kennedy Airport in Queens, which is currently being used as a shelter, and continued to track his steps until they made the arrest.
Mayor Eric Adams attended the press conference and praised the work of the detectives.
"These detectives understood that Kristal wasn't just a number," said Adams. "They operated in a professional manner and brought this killer to justice."
Officers are still looking for the .9 millimeter handgun Glynn used in the shooting.
Glynn has seven prior arrests in New York City.
The cold-blooded killing of a young woman working an overnight shift shocked many in the city.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams brought up the case Thursday while talking about unacceptable levels of crime.
"The 19-year-old baby that was shot, we have to catch that guy," said Adams. "And I refuse to apologize for people who are violent in our city. Those crimes, we are zeroing in on. And we are going to make sure they are taken off our street like the district attorney did with that gang takedown."
Adams previously said the murder was particularly senseless because the victim gave the suspect the $100 that was in the cash register, and he shot her anyway. The mayor expressed his outrage about the killing at a separate event.
"I am so focused on stopping 19-year-old girls from being shot in Burger King," he said at an unrelated event in Queens.
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Bayron-Nieves moved to New York from Puerto Rico with her mom, her 14-year-old brother and the family cat two years ago.
Family members are raising money to return her body there for burial.
A GoFundMe campaign had raised $24,000 as of Friday morning.
Her wake will be held next Tuesday.
Community activists gathered outside of the Burger King Tuesday night.
As Jim Dolan reported, they called for an end to the violence and their pleas were loud and filled with pain and grief.
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