On Monday, a second suspect, an illegal immigrant, was detained in connection to the weekend shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer in New York City, officials reported. The suspect has an extensive criminal record.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Cristian Aybar Berroa from the Dominican Republic “illegally entered the United States on June 19, 2022, and was granted interim parole while awaiting his immigration hearing.”
During his time in New York City, he allegedly engaged in numerous unlawful activities, including arrests for 2nd-degree reckless endangerment in May 2023, as well as 4th-degree felony grand larceny and petit larceny in March and April 2024, according to officials.
Following the April 2024 arrest, “Despite an active ICE detainer, the New York City Department of Corrections released Berroa back onto NYC streets,” Homeland Security said.
Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez was arrested following the shooting in New York City on Saturday night. On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Christhian Aybar Berroa was taken into custody as well. (Department of Homeland Security)
Officials believe the shooting happened during an attempted robbery.
“A witness of the attack stated that she and the victim were sitting on the rocks by the water when two subjects on a scooter drove up to them, dismounted the scooter and approached them with a firearm drawn. The off-duty CBP officer responded by withdrawing his own firearm in self defense. The CBP officer was shot in his right arm and left cheek. Thankfully, the officer is in stable condition at the hospital,” Homeland Security said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday that Berroa was the scooter driver in the incident.
“He was arrested eight times between March and April 2024 for grand larcenies and robberies involving a scooter in the Bronx,” she said. “He’s also a suspect in at least four additional cases. He entered this country illegally through Texas in 2022.”
Multiple sources within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News that the men involved in the shooting are believed to be the same men caught on video in an armed robbery of a business in Leominster, Massachusetts, in February.
Sources said in that incident – during which a store owner reportedly was bound with duct tape and held at gunpoint – two firearms were stolen.
