A man is dead after he attempted to rob a group of men outside of a motorcycle club in Queens over the weekend.
According to a report by a local ABC affiliate, the 26-year-old suspect walked up to a group of five men standing outside of the N.W.O. Clubhouse around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, brandished a firearm and told the men to hand over the keys to their bikes. The men did not comply with the suspect’s demands, but rather one of the men, an off-duty corrections officer, pulled his own weapon and fired at the suspect, striking him a single time in the head.
When police arrived on the scene, they found the suspect lying on the ground unresponsive. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The name of the suspect has not been released because his family has not yet been notified of his death. However, authorities confirmed that the suspect had previously been arrested more than 50 times, but his alleged offenses are unknown at this time.
Nearby residents told The New York Times that although the members-only club can sometimes become loud with the sound of roaring motorcycle engines and the boisterousness of patrons after a long night of drinking, nothing like this has ever occurred at the club before.
The off-duty officer who fired the fatal shot, 42-year-old Alfredo Perez, has been employed by the Queensboro Correctional Facility in Long Island City for over 11 years. Neither Perez nor officials from the department of corrections have made a comment on the incident, which is still under investigation.
While it’s unknown if Perez possessed a valid concealed carry permit, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, enacted in 2004 and since amended multiple times, is a federal law that permits qualifying current and retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed handgun in all states and territories of the United States, with some exceptions.
