A man has been taken into custody for shooting and injuring a security guard at a Manhattan shelter. The incident occurred last week, and the police reported the arrest on Wednesday.
Authorities identified Shaquille Parker, 31, as the suspect. He was arrested Tuesday at his girlfriend’s residence on a warrant related to the fatal shooting of a 49-year-old employee at a shelter located on Madison Avenue near East 28th Street on March 30.
The shooting took place near the stairs of The Prince George shelter, managed by Breaking Ground, where the victim was employed.
In the incident, the security guard, who was off-duty and on lunch, was shot and transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
A worker from the nearby Latham Hotel reported hearing two gunshots and rushing outside. He recalled, “I saw a man lying on the pavement. He was on his back, bleeding from his stomach area. The police and ambulance arrived quickly, which likely saved his life.”
Law enforcement revealed last week that Parker had restricted access to the shelter. A former resident mentioned, “They must have told him not to let the guy in, but he didn’t follow that.”
The former resident expressed disbelief, stating, “You’re going to try to kill someone for doing their job. It’s messed up.”
Daffenie Barotin, 30, who lived at the shelter for about a year, described the injured guard as usually polite and was puzzled by the attack. She wondered about the extreme anger that led to such violence, questioning, “It’s a gun. He tried to kill him.”
Barotin added, “This is shocking to me because I never saw or heard him arguing with anyone. I’m surprised it was him. He has a timid personality.”
Parker, a resident of a NYCHA complex on the Upper West Side, faces additional charges of assault and weapons possession. His arraignment on charges such as attempted murder and criminal possession of a firearm was pending as of Wednesday.
This isn’t Parker’s first run-in with the law. He was recently arrested on August 27, 2024, for allegedly assaulting a 55-year-old man by overturning the bench he was sitting on, resulting in a significant head injury.
Furthermore, police noted Parker was apprehended in Dade County, Florida, on November 2, 2018, but details about that case remain unclear.
