Man indicted in back-to-back Tompkins Square Park shootings, DA says

Published Apr 15, 2024 at 5:18 p.m. ET

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Published Apr 15, 2024 at 5:18 p.m. ET

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A man accused of two separate shootings in Tompkins Square Park last month was indicted on attempted murder and other charges Monday, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors alleged that Waldemar Alverio, 38, first opened fire in the East Village Park around 12:45 p.m. on March 16, after two men chased, punched and kicked him. He fired five times, the DA’s office said, hitting one of the men in the pelvis and also striking a tourist in the hip.

Alverio escaped on a bike, then came back five days later and shot at a group that had gathered in the park, according to prosecutors. He didn’t hit anyone, they said, but one bullet pierced a nearby bedroom window and another lodged in the stairwell of a different apartment building across from the park.

“Our parks should be a place where New Yorkers and tourists can relax without fearing for their safety,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “Combating gun violence remains my top priority and my office will hold those who commit these serious acts of violence accountable.”

Police arrested Alverio on the Lower East Side late last month after recognizing him from a wanted flier, according to prosecutors. The DA’s office said it is still investigating the case and has not charged the two men who allegedly beat up Alverio before he pulled out a gun.

He pleaded not guilty Monday to various felonies, including second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Alverio’s attorney declined to comment.

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Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 410-925-6766.

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