Times Square Shooting Suspect Farrakhan Muhammad Arrested in Florida: Police

Farrakhan Muhammad, the accused Times Square shooter. NYPD

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that a suspect in a Times Square shooting that left three people injured over the weekend was arrested in Florida.

In a news conference on Wednesday, NYPD Chief Dermot Shea said that “there is justice,” as “several hours ago,” the shooter was apprehended in Florida and will be extradited back to New York City.

NYPD Detectives Chief James Essig confirmed that Farrakhan Muhammad was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in a McDonald’s parking lot near Jacksonville, Florida.

Muhammad was with a woman believed to be his girlfriend, Essig said. He was taken into custody without incident.

Muhammad, 31, is accused of opening fire at Times Square in Manhattan on Saturday, striking three people, including a 4-year-old girl. The girl underwent surgery and is now home, reports said.

“I was able to run like five steps and I told my mom to take the baby and run,” victim Wendy Magrinot, who was shot, told ABC7. “I saw a police officer, and I screamed to him, ‘I’m shot, I have a 2-year-old. I don’t want to die. Please help me.’”

The other victim who was shot was identified as Marcela Aldana, who was shopping.

“Times Square, high publicity, more people have heard about it,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters this week. “Times Square is a tourist destination. Times square is iconic New York City. Was it more damaging? Yes, only because it communicated to more people.”

According to the New York Post, Muhammad has a criminal record stretching back to 2007, including two felony robbery arrests and a 2012 weapons arrest.

The shooting comes in the midst of a spike in crime, including shootings, in New York City in recent months. According to recent data released by the NYPD, in March, the city saw a 68.8 percent increase in gun-related arrests compared with March 2020.

Muhammad was listed as an inmate in the Bradford County, Florida, jail database. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer.