Nearly two months after a fatal shooting rocked one of Hell’s Kitchen’s busiest blocks, police have arrested a suspect in the killing of 30-year-old Marco Reyes.
Jamel Williams, a 21-year-old from Johnstown, NY, was taken into custody Thursday evening during a routine traffic stop by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies spotted an active warrant for his arrest for second-degree murder in connection with the June 4 shooting outside 345 W42nd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues.
Williams allegedly provided a false name to police at the time of his arrest and was charged with false personation before being extradited to Manhattan. He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, where the judge granted the prosecution’s request for remand, citing Williams as a flight risk. His next court date is scheduled for July 30.
At arraignment, the assistant district attorney described surveillance footage showing Williams approach the scene, pull out a firearm, and shoot the victim — who appeared to be a stranger to him — in the head. According to witnesses, the confrontation may have started after Williams became angry that Reyes was urinating on the side of a building. A verbal argument reportedly broke out between the two men, escalating in moments before the shooting.
After the shooting, prosecutors said Williams fled on foot to Grand Central Terminal, where surveillance footage shows him boarding a northbound train. He traveled upstate to the home of his girlfriend — who was also present during the incident — and remained at large for nearly seven weeks…