'Law & Order: Organized Crime' Film Crew Member Fatally Shot on Set in New York City

A guy enforcing parking regulations related to the production was tragically murdered while sitting in a car early Tuesday at a Brooklyn film site for a ripped-from-the-headlines television crime program, according to authorities.

As reported by police and leaflets put on North Henry Street near Norman Avenue in the Greenpoint area, the homicide occurred as a team working on the crime program 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' was preparing to shoot on the street.

'Law & Order' Crew Member Shot Dead

Johnny Pizarro, 31, of Queens, was identified as the victim. Pizarro, whose duty was to keep the roadway free so vehicles associated with the exhibition could park, was sitting in a car when a lone assailant arrived, opened the door, and shot him in the head and neck, according to police. According to authorities, he was transferred to Woodhull Hospital Center in Brooklyn and declared dead.

By Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made and no motive had been determined. According to authorities, a short, skinny male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark slacks was spotted fleeing the scene of the shooting.

The assassination of a guy working in service of a high-profile sector in a generally secure area comes at a time of rising worry in certain quarters that, despite gunshots and murders being down so far this year, New York City is becoming unsafe.

Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain who ran as a crime fighter and continues to prioritize public safety, has contributed to that notion at times, declaring, for example, that he had "never witnessed criminality at this level."

NBC's 'Law & Order: Organized Crime,' starring Christopher Meloni, is set in New York and draws inspiration from crimes committed there. The show is the most recent installment of producer Dick Wolf's long-running criminal procedural franchise. It is now filming its third season and is produced by Universal Television, a branch of Universal Studio Group, in collaboration with Wolf Entertainment.

According to police data, the location is in the 94th Precinct, where severe crime is uncommon. As of Sunday, there have been no murders in the precinct this year, and none last year or in 2020, according to the statistics.

Suspect Remains at Large

Productions like the one Pizarro was working on contribute significantly to the New York City economy. August assessment released by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the film and television sectors produced about 185,000 jobs, $18.1 billion in revenues, and $81.6 billion in total economic output in 2019.

The murder occurred at 5:15 am in the Greenpoint neighborhood when the killer unlocked the victim's car door and shot him in the face and neck. Pizarro, a father of three, was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he was confirmed dead, according to ABC7.

The male suspect was described as 5'4", slim, and dressed in a black sweatshirt and black jeans. Police were visible in the cordoned-off area, in accordance with a video shared on Citizen apps. Greenpoint resident Ian Oberholtzer, 35, speculated that Pizarro was most likely targeted because he was reserving parking spaces. Oberholtzer stated that the murder had jolted the otherwise safe area, New York Times reported.

The series was intended to be filmed on North Henry Street, the residential area where the incident occurred on Tuesday. The deceased arrived early because he was part of the security crew that allocated parking spaces and kept an eye on equipment trucks.

The third season of Law & Order: SVU spinoff program Law & Order: Organized Crime is currently in production. Chris Meloni plays Detective Elliot Stabler and Danielle Moné Truitt as Sergeant Ayanna Bell in the series, which premiered in 2021.

The show debuted on April 1, 2021, and was renewed for a second season of 24 episodes a month later. However, only 22 episodes were completed. The second season began on September 23, 2021, and the series was renewed for a third season in May 2022, as per Express.