Homeless man allegedly killed two men in front of migrant shelter in Brooklyn

Mira Wassef and Zhané Caldwell

11 minutes ago

According to the New York Police Department, two men were killed and one injured in two shootings in Brooklyn on Sunday, five minutes apart. (Source: LLN NYC)

BROOKLYN, NY (PIX11) — A homeless moped rider is accused of shooting two men outside a Brooklyn migrant shelter on Sunday, police said.

Jorge Said Benitez Villa, 26, allegedly shot Enny DeJesus Urbina Mendez, 21, in the chest and Francisco Fuentes Rangel, 59, in the head around 10:45 p.m., according to the NYPD. Both men were taken to the hospital but could not be saved.

The gunman jumped off a dark moped and then allegedly opened fire in front of the emergency shelter in Clinton Hill where the two victims lived, police said. It was unclear what triggered the shooting.

Villa was arrested a few days later and charged with two counts of murder, police said Friday.

Minutes before the incident, officers found 30-year-old Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano with a gunshot wound to the chest in Steuben Park at the corner of Steuben Street and Flushing Avenue, just two blocks from the property, police said. The man died at the hospital.

No charges have been filed against Villa in the 30-year-old man’s death. The NYPD said it was unclear whether the three shootings were related.

On Tuesday, Brooklyn residents gathered to voice their concerns about recent violence surrounding the refugee shelter. Neighbors reported that two shelters in the neighborhood are overwhelmed with more than 3,000 asylum seekers, leaving residents fearful for their safety.

“I walk down my street and my neighbors look traumatized,” said Clinton Hill resident Alia Mckee. “They’re scared. The kids don’t want to go to the park. The kids are looking at me. They’ve heard about the shootings and they’re asking me about it. I don’t know what to say to them. I can’t protect them.”