A 25-year-old man wanted by New York police for the death of a subway driver over the weekend was arrested at a police station in Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon.
Andrew Abdullah was wanted in connection with the murder of Daniel Enriquez, a passenger who was shot on Sunday while traveling north on a Q train. Mr. Abdullah turned himself in more than 72 hours after the unprovoked attack and entered the Fifth District accompanied by officers in civilian clothes. A crowd of about 50 reporters and passersby saw him ascend the stairs, wearing black pants and a white T-shirt.
“We are grateful to the New Yorkers who have shared information — and the… @NYPDDetectives for their hard work investigating this senseless murder,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Mr Abdullah’s evasion from police for nearly 72 hours following the unprovoked murder shocked a city already wary of the subway system, which has served as a grim scene for a series of horrific attacks in recent months.
Born in Williamsburg to Mexican immigrant parents, Mr Enriquez, 48, was the oldest of five children and was on his way to meet his younger brother in Manhattan for brunch on Sunday when, according to police, he met Mr. Abdullah. on the last car of the Q train heading north.
Unprovoked, Mr Abdullah stunned the car full of passengers when he pulled out a 9mm pistol and fired a single shot into Mr Enriquez’s chest as the train crossed the Manhattan Bridge, police said. There had been no interaction between the two men prior to the shot.
Abdullah slipped out of the car in the ensuing chaos as the train pulled into Canal Street, and he disappeared at street level, handing the gun to a homeless man, two law enforcement officers said. Mr. Enriquez was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died.
Lamor Miller-Whitehead, the bishop of Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches, said in the Fifth Precinct on Tuesday that he had spoken to Mr Abdullah’s relatives when the suspect considered surrendering.
“I spoke to the family, who said he suffered from mental illness and mental health issues,” said Mr Miller-Whitehead. “I said, ‘Let’s get together. And let’s turn him in.’ And they all agree, even the young man said, ‘I’m going to turn myself in.’”
At the age of 25, Mr. Abdullah charged with several gun-related crimes. In 2016, he was indicted as part of a high-profile Manhattan gang case, and in 2018 he pleaded guilty to a gun charge related to two Harlem gangs. He was released on parole after four months in prison, a spokeswoman for the state corrections department said.
He faced new gun charges in Manhattan in 2020, according to court records, a case pending, and he was released on $100,000 bail. In March 2021, prosecutors charged him with assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Sunday’s shooting was the latest in a string of violent episodes on the subway this year. Just six weeks ago, a gunman opened fire on a railroad car during rush hour in Brooklyn, injuring at least 23 people. In January, a woman, Michelle Go, died after being pushed on the tracks of the Times Square station.
