'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, a crew member was fatally shot on the set of Law & Order: Organized Crime in New York City. The victim, a parking enforcement worker, was shot sometime in the early hours of Tuesday. According to police reports, he was shot multiple times in the face and neck. He was rushed to Woodhull Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at around 6 AM.
From reel to real: Shooting on Law & Order set mistaken for a scene, adds to the tally of shootings in New York City
On Tuesday morning, tragedy came knocking when a shooting on the set of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which seemed scripted to a few local witnesses, killed a crew member.
The 31-year-old victim, a father of three, hailed from Queens. Police have revealed his name to be Johnny Pizzaro. Reportedly, he was shot while sitting in the driver’s seat of a car which was saving a parking space on North Henry Street near Norman Avenue in Greenpoint. According to authorities, the perpetrator opened the driver’s side door and fatally shot him at around 5:15 AM.
His co-worker, who was also saving a parking spot for the film crew's trucks, said:
"It was crazy. I didn’t hear an argument or nothing. It was quiet, early morning. It was just a pop, and the gunman ran up towards Nassau Avenue. I only heard one bang, but I don’t know how many shots. I don’t even know who would do this or why.’’
The motive behind the shooting is still unknown. Police are trying to find out if the early morning attack was random or the result of a parking dispute. The suspect, dressed in all black, is yet to be arrested.
The Law & Order film set is no stranger to crime scenes, but they are usually scripted. Hence, a local resident mistook the tragedy for a scene in the popular crime show. According to the New York Post, Janus Czuj said:
"This morning I woke up and saw the police officers, I thought it was a fake crime scene. I didn’t think it was a real tragedy. … I tried to walk dogs here and saw the tape and thought, ‘Oh, it’s a movie,' But this was a real shooting.”
Tuesday's shooting adds to a long list of shootings that have taken place over the last couple of days in New York City alone. On Sunday night, July 17, twelve people were injured and one killed in nine separate shootings in the city.
