MS-13 subway murder suspect in country illegally

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Police in New York say an MS-13 gang member who is in the country illegally is in custody in connection with the killing of another gang member in a Queens subway station.  They continue to look for two other men in connection with the attack.

The shocking shooting happened in front of horrified passengers in a crime that was captured on video. The NYPD says it happened about 12:45 p.m. Sunday at the 90th Street and Elmhurst Ave. subway station.

An argument apparently broke out on a 7-line train and when they arrived at the station the incident spilled out onto the subway platform with at least three individuals.

Video captured on a phone and posted to Facebook shows a group of men brawling on the subway platform at the station as other passengers try to pull them apart. 

One man is heard yelling 'Leave him alone." several times in the disturbing video. One of the men pulls out what looks like a revolver and starts shooting.

Police say five to six shots were fired as screaming passengers jumped back onto the train, leaving the victim bleeding to death on the ground near the stairs.

Police found Abel Mosso, 20, unconscious and unresponsive with at least one gunshot wound to the head.  EMS arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police say Ramiro A. Gutierrez, the 26-year-old El Salvadorian man under arrest, is believed to be the gunman and was already known to police as a member of the MS-13 street gang who had been arrested various times in the past.  The victim was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang.

The NYPD was also looking for two other men seen in the video. It’s unclear what the dispute was about and if the attackers knew the victim. Police also ask passengers who were on the train to come forward with information.

The MTA issued a statement about the shooting saying, in part: "While our system and the city are safer than ever before, we have zero tolerance for any violence on our subways and buses, and the safety of our customers and employees will always be our number one priority."

In December, Gutierrez, who also goes by the nickname “Caramalo,” was indicted alongside 11 other alleged MS-13 gang members by a Queens County grand jury “on various charges including attempted murder and conspiracy, in addition to drug and weapons charges,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. Despite the involvement of ICE, it was not immediately clear anyone arrested in that bust is suspected of immigration violations.

The subway killing took place in the Elmhurst section of Queens.  That is in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district.  The freshman Democrat has previously spoken in favor of abolishing ICE. 

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