Crew member shot dead on ‘Law & Order’ set in NYC: cops

A crew member doing the job for “Law & Purchase: Structured Crime’’ was fatally shot at the Television show’s Brooklyn set early Tuesday — in a scene that could have been pulled straight out of the script, authorities stated.

Johnny Pizarro, a 31-calendar year-previous married dad of three, had just began his change and was sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2008 pink Honda Civic that was conserving a parking house in Greenpoint all-around 5:15 a.m. when a further male instantly opened the driver’s doorway and blasted him, officials and pals reported.

“It was outrageous,’’ claimed a distraught colleague of Pizarro, who was conserving the location on North Henry Street near Norman Avenue for the movie crews’ vans to use later.  

“I didn’t listen to an argument or very little. It was quiet, early morning,’’ said the colleague, who requested not to be named. “It was just a pop, and the [gunman] ran up in the direction of Nassau [Avenue]. I only heard a single bang, but I don’t know how quite a few photographs.

“I really don’t even know who would do this or why.’’

Local resident Janus Czuj, 60, said he considered the slay scene was just for the cameras.

“This morning I woke up and observed the law enforcement officers,” Czuj said. “I considered it was a bogus crime scene.

“I did not feel it was a actual tragedy. … I tried using to walk dogs right here and noticed the tape and considered, ‘Oh, it’s a movie.’ But this was a true capturing.”

The motive for the killing was unclear, but cops mentioned they are not ruling out something — including regardless of whether it may well have stemmed from a parking dispute. 

A flier taped to a lamp pole on the road was titled “Stop Film Shoots All over McGolrick Park” and urged residents to complain to their neighborhood lawmakers about “how the filming of our neighborhood is displacing your family members.

“The location close to McGolrick Park has had a WEEKLY movie shoot for MONTHS having away DOZENS of blocks for PARKING and displacing Hundreds of Greenpoint people although in excess of 600 parking spots had been not long ago Taken out beneath the BQE for the development of a bike lane that no a single takes advantage of,” the posting rages.

Neighborhood Joe Pedicino, 65, said CBS TV’s “Blue Bloods” and “FBI” have also been filmed on the avenue in the past 6 months. 

“We’re acquiring killed with film shoots,” Pedicino stated.

“Some of the neighbors have been really pissed off there is not adequate parking. [The film crews] take up so substantially place, and they do not even use it all.”

Various people claimed they doubted parking would have led to the bloodshed, which rocked the quiet space. Pedicinio reported he was surprised by the violence, much too.

“This is one of the superior streets in Greenpoint,” explained the resident, who listened to 3 photographs ring out all-around the time of the capturing. “Executions don’t happen listed here. It’s a peaceful block.”

Still, resident Gabrielle Van den Berg, who also heard 3 gunshots, stated, “There’s a whole lot of drug addicts in this street” and puzzled whether or not that problem could have in some way been concerned.

Pizarro — who a Queens neighbor mentioned often desired to operate in Television — was shot multiple periods in the face and neck, according to officers.

He was taken to Woodhull Medical Center, the place he was pronounced dead just in advance of 6 a.m., cops said.

Filming experienced been scheduled to start on the established at 6 a.m., according to a recognize at the scene.

The suspect fled on foot right after the murder and is still in the wind, authorities said. He was last observed sporting a black hoodie and black pants, cops explained.

The dead man’s father, Johnny Pizarro Sr., 54, who lives in Puerto Rico, explained to The Submit he and his son hadn’t been near but reconnected fairly in the previous 3 decades.

“It stunned me extremely challenging,’’ the father mentioned of the information of his son’s loss of life. “We weren’t shut, but he’s my son no make a difference what. Now he’s absent for very good, for good.

“I really feel dropped. To me, he was a excellent boy. He took care of his small children. He was normally nice to me.”

The sufferer had an arrest record but had been out of issues because all around 2015, police resources said.

His prior busts bundled marijuana raps, but the scenarios are sealed, sources explained.

He also was the moment arrested for DWI in the 75th Precinct, which features the borough’s East New York and Cypress Hills neighborhoods, resources stated. 

NBC and Common Tv, which develop the Tv set criminal offense series, reported in a assertion, “We were being terribly saddened and stunned to listen to that 1 of our crew members was the sufferer of a criminal offense early this morning and has died as a result.

“We are doing the job with area law enforcement as they carry on to examine. Our hearts go out to his family and pals, and we inquire that you respect their privacy throughout this time.”

Pizarro’s pal and co-worker said the men’s position was to put up film-capturing notices, area cones all over as needed and park the vehicles. 

“We’ve been doing this for 5 or six decades,” he said. “We arrive 24 hrs in advance to get started clearing out the parking.

“We park in our vehicles, and we wait around for the stars to come out. The vehicles have devices for the Tv demonstrates and motion picture scenes.

“Sometimes we get hassled about parking, but we get the job done with a ton of men and women in the communities,” the person mentioned. “They discuss with us, we communicate with them. We see what time you want to depart, and based on what time our vehicles occur, we let them park. There is in no way also significantly hassle with the parking.” 

Neighborhood resident Ian Oberholtzer, 35, who has lived on the block for 11 yrs, said he doubted the crime was motivated above a parking dispute.

“I just cannot consider it was similar to parking,” Oberholtzer claimed. “There’s a good deal of parking places at 5 a.m.”

The block is a well known set for shooting the exhibit for the reason that it is close to creation studios, in accordance to Oberholtzer.

Tuesday’s filming was to be for the common series’ third year, which options stars like Chris Meloni and Ainsley Seiger.

“They shoot a whole lot about right here,” he said of the manufacturing crew. “The parking program is rather normal.“

Oberholtzer additional that the location is usually tranquil and safe.

“It’s not the type of matter you’d be expecting on the block,’’ he claimed of the lethal taking pictures.  

“I never come to feel threatened or endangered. I’m anxious but also very confused by it.”

The lethal shooting was the first homicide in the 94th Precinct for the calendar year. It was the precinct’s third shooting to date in 2022. Both statistics match past year’s. 

Metropolis Hall Push Secretary Fabien Levy said in a assertion Tuesday, “We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s spouse and children, good friends, and coworkers throughout this tough time, and will operate diligently to provide the suspect to justice and stem the tide of gun violence we are observing.

“The protection of all New Yorkers is our prime priority. No capturing is suitable, which is why we are functioning every single day to get illegal guns off New York Metropolis streets.”

The dead man’s co-worker said he experienced recognised the victim for 7 many years and explained him as “like a brother to me.’’ 

The buddy reported Pizarro left guiding a spouse, two daughters and a son.

“He was a fantastic person, always laughing or building anyone chortle, you know?” the co-worker explained.

Czuj said he observed the sufferer Monday and explained him as a “good-searching, pleased male.

“He was speaking to his pals though they were relocating cones and picking up the parking spots,” Czuj stated. “He was doing work yesterday, and now he’s useless. It will make me unhappy.”

A neighbor at the victim’s Queens residence also identified as Pizarro “a truly wonderful male.

“I am shocked,” the resident stated. 

One more neighbor mentioned of Pizarro: “Everybody liked him. 

“He normally desired to function in Tv set,” the Queens resident said. 

A third male neighbor termed Pizarro “bubbly. 

“Everybody on this block shed a tear” when they read of his loss of life, the guy stated. “He was a guy’s man. … He was into bikes and dirt bikes.

“We don’t know him as a person getting beef with persons.”

Additional reporting by Amanda Woods, Reuven Fenton, Larry Celona and Kyle Schnitzer