SEATTLE - A New York City Parks Department worker accused of fatally shooting a Venezuelan migrant last month in Steuben Park is now facing murder as a hate crime charge. Elijah Mitchell, a seasonal employee from Queens, was indicted on five charges, including second-degree murder as a hate crime, illegal possession of a weapon, menacing as a hate crime and menacing.
The 23-year-old showed up to work at Steuben Park on July 18 and began ripping apart the tarps and tents set up by migrants at the Steuben Playground on Flushing Avenue, near South Williamsburg and Clinton Hill, authorities recalled.
That's when 30-year-old Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano confronted Mitchell. The pair began arguing until the Parks employee went to his car and upon his return flashed a gun inside his waistband before his coworkers pulled him away.
Mitchell returned three days later, and on July 21 at around 10:45 p.m. fired multiple shots at Marcano, striking him in the chest. He then fled the scene in a vehicle, according to law enforcement and a criminal complaint.
The 30-year-old Venezuelan was rushed to the Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries.
Mitchell was arrested on Aug. 20 and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty during a hearing on Aug. 21 and was held on bail of $350,000 cash or $2.5 million bond. He is due back in court on Oct. 23. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said "this defendant allegedly came to the location where the victim was staying, armed with a gun, to settle a score. This premeditated and coldblooded homicide is outrageous on many levels, not least because the alleged motive was hatred towards new arrivals to our city."
The murder was initially believed to be connected to a fatal shooting of two men outside a nearby migrant shelter just minutes later.
According to authorities, Enny DeJesus Urbina Mendez, 21, and Francisco Fuentes Rangel, 59, were both shot by a pair of suspects on a moped while driving by the shelter at 29 Ryerson Street.
Mendez was shot multiple times and taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Rangel, who was shot in the head, was taken to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later, according to police.
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