Suspect in Times Square shooting arrested in Florida
The alleged gunman who opened fire in Times Square on Saturday, hitting three bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, was taken into custody Wednesday, police announced. Farrakhan Muhammad, 31, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Florida, CBS New York reported.
Muhammad was taken into custody in a McDonald's parking lot in Starke, Florida, just outside of Jacksonville. Police said he was eating lunch in the car with a woman who police believe to be his girlfriend. They said Muhammad did not resist arrest.
Police said they used surveillance video and eyewitness accounts to track Muhammed and his girlfriend. They said video appeared to show Muhammed heading to a building near Times Square where police believe he and his girlfriend were staying at the time. On Tuesday, the pair was spotted at a Walmart in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Police said the two bought supplies there, including dog food for the two dogs that were traveling with them.
Muhammed is still in Starke police custody and will be charged in New York. His girlfriend is being investigated as a person of interest but is not being charged at this time, police said.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing as well, as the gun used in the shooting has not yet been recovered. Police are also attempting to determine a motive. Muhammed's brother told police he was the intended target and police believe the shooting may be related to a dispute over sidewalk space where the two sell CDs, CBS New York reported.
Three people were wounded in the shooting; a 43-year-old woman from Passaic, New Jersey; a 23-year-old woman from Rhode Island; and the 4-year-old from Brooklyn. All three are expected to make a full recovery, police said.