A former employee who allegedly shot his ex-boss multiple times in a brazen daylight attack on the Upper West Side was ordered to be held without bail at an arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Saturday night.
Eduardo Diaz, a 42-year-old resident of Queens, faced charges of attempted murder, assault, and weapon possession in connection to the incident that left Boris Shapiro, a 47-year-old man, injured at the intersection of West 69th Street and Columbus Avenue, according to prosecutors.
The disgruntled shooter, who had been terminated from his job at a computer repair company several months prior, reportedly confronted his former boss at the business near 68th Street and Columbus Avenue before firing multiple shots at him in the leg, hip, and shoulder at close range around 9:20 a.m., prosecutors stated.
Allegedly, Diaz continued to shoot at the victim as he lay on the ground, defenseless. Authorities mentioned that the suspect had been sending threatening messages to his ex-boss ever since he was let go from his position.
Both Diaz and Shapiro had previously worked together at Lincoln Business Machines Incorporated, sources disclosed.
After fleeing the scene, Diaz was apprehended by law enforcement on Friday morning, almost a day after escaping into the 72nd street train station, crawling beneath an A train in the tunnel, and managing to evade capture, according to sources. This caused disruptions to subway commuters, with some having to lie on the subway floor and evacuate through the tunnel.
Shapiro was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries.
Diaz was treated at a local medical facility and discharged before his court appearance, as per sources.
The suspect faces charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors confirmed.
Following his arraignment, Diaz was remanded and is scheduled to appear in court again on November 14.
