In what was described as a love triangle dispute, prosecutors in New York said a jealous ex-lover shot another man in the head after staging a robbery to make it seem like he wasn’t targeting the victim.
According to WABC, the December 6 incident, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred at a fish restaurant in Washington Heights. The victim, identified as 37-year-old Harrison Ferreiras, was eating at the restaurant when Heiton Camacho-Bonilla made his way inside and shot him after initially staging the robbery.
Prosecutors told the court that Camacho-Bonilla “attempted to assassinate the victim based on jealousy, and tried to throw investigators off his scent by pretending it was a robbery.”
Prosecutors said Camacho-Bonilla developed an obsession after the mother of his child and Ferreiras “had a brief romantic fling several months ago.” The suspect and the woman had already been separated for about eight months.
Camacho-Bonilla was spotted in all-black clothing and wearing a black face mask and gloves when he entered the eatery to stage the robbery. The suspect, who was also wearing a black hat, initially ordered the female worker to hand over cash in the register as well as her cell phone, WABC reported. But prosecutors said Ferreiras was actually Camacho-Bonilla’s target.
Camacho-Bonilla is said to have issued an order to the worker before he “put the gun to the back of the victim’s head and pulled the trigger.” Ferreiras was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. His condition was also listed as critical.
“This act was premeditated, deliberate, callous, and it is by sheer luck that the victim is alive, albeit with significant injuries and pain,” prosecutors said.
Camacho-Bonilla faces a slew of charges including attempted murder, assault, multiple counts of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, the New York Post reported. A judge also ordered the suspect to remain in custody during his appearance in court this week.
