New York
Gay man shot to death on NYC subway train
Police say shooting was random and unprovoked
A gay man became the latest victim of a New York City subway shooting on Sunday when police say a male suspect shot Daniel Enriquez, 48, in the chest in an unprovoked random act inside a subway car traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
Police on Tuesday arrested Andrew Abdullah, 25, who they identified as the sole suspect in the shooting, after attorneys representing him from the Legal Aid Society attempted to arrange for his surrender, according to a report by NBC 4 News in New York.
Police said the shooting occurred around 11:42 a.m. while the train was traveling over the Manhattan Bridge. The then unidentified suspect walked off the train and disappeared into a crowd of people when the train stopped at the Canal Street station minutes after Enriquez lay dying on the floor on the train car, police said.
Possibly based on the viewing of images from video surveillance cameras, police sources told the New York Times that investigators identified the suspect as Abdullah whose last known residence was in Manhattan, as a suspect in the fatal shooting. NYPD officials released two photos of Abdullah and appealed to the public for help in finding him.
Adam Pollack, Enriquez’s partner of 18 years, told both the Times and the New York Post that Enriquez took the subway to meet his brother for brunch. According to Pollack, Enriquez previously had taken Ubers into Manhattan, where he worked and socialized, from the couple’s home in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. But in recent weeks the cost of taking an Uber rose dramatically to more than $80 for the round-trip fare, prompting Enriquez to begin taking the subway, Pollack told the Times and Post.
“I don’t love the subway,” the Post quoted Pollack as saying. “I know how dangerous New York is. It took me two years to get back on the subway. I don’t feel safe on the subway,” he said.
The fatal shooting of Enriquez took place six weeks after another gunman identified as Frank R. James began shooting inside a crowded rush-hour subway car in Brooklyn, injuring at least 23 people.
Pollack told the Times his partner was a native New Yorker who worked as a researcher for the Goldman Sachs investment bank in Manhattan. Enriquez was the eldest of five children and a beloved uncle known for taking his nieces and nephews for ice cream in local parks and out to amusement parks when he visited them, Pollack told the Times.
When asked by the Washington Blade if any evidence has surfaced to indicate suspect Abdullah targeted Enriquez because he thought Enriquez was gay, a police public information officer said the investigation into the incident was continuing.
“There’s nothing on that now,” the officer said. “Everything, the motive, and all of that stuff, is part of the investigation and that is still ongoing. So, there’s no comment on that yet.”
The Times reports that court records show Abdullah, who is now in police custody, was charged along with others in 2017 in an 83-count indictment for alleged gang related activity. The following year he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of weapons and other charges in 2018 and was sentenced the following year to a prison term and released on parole several months later.
According to the Times, he faced new gun charges in 2020, was charged in 2021 with assault and endangering a child, and in April of this year was charged with possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
“We are devastated by this senseless tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with Dan’s family at this difficult time,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in a statement.
New York
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
One of the victims, John Umberger, was D.C. political consultant
A New York judge on Wednesday sentenced three men convicted of killing a D.C. political consultant and another man who they targeted at gay bars in Manhattan.
NBC New York notes a jury in February convicted Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso, and Robert DeMaio of murder, robbery, and conspiracy in relation to druggings and robberies that targeted gay bars in Manhattan from March 2021 to June 2022.
John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant from D.C., and Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died. Prosecutors said Hamilton, Barroso, and DeMaio targeted three other men at gay bars.
The jury convicted Hamilton and DeMaio of murdering Umberger. State Supreme Court Judge Felicia Mennin sentenced Hamilton and DeMaio to 40 years to life in prison.
Barroso, who was convicted of killing Ramirez, received a 20 years to life sentence.
New York
Investigators say ‘no indication’ of hate crime in torture killing of Black trans man
GLAAD cautioned police from ruling out hate crime charges
Law enforcement officials investigating the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man from Minnesota whose body was discovered last week in upstate New York, found “no indication” of a hate crime, they announced in a statement on Sunday.
“We are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense,” police said.
“We share the community’s shock at such a heinous act of violence and understand the fear circulating among members of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community,” they said. “We remain focused on holding these individuals accountable and will continue to work tirelessly to complete the investigation into Sam’s murder.”
In a statement on Tuesday, GLAAD said that “While we are encouraged to see law enforcement act swiftly to investigate this horrific act, we caution investigators from ruling out hate crime charges based on this statement alone,” adding that “Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said: “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Sam Nordquist. Sam was more than just a statistic—he was a son, a brother, a friend, and a bright light in the lives of those who knew him.
“His life was stolen from him after enduring unspeakable cruelty. We stand in solidarity with Sam’s family, friends, and community as they demand justice. We refuse to let Sam’s story fade into silence.
“We demand accountability, we demand justice, and we demand a world where transgender people are safe, respected, and able to live freely.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that she instructed state agencies including the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit of the New York State Division of Human Rights to assist with the investigation into Nordquist’s murder.
Letitia James, attorney general of New York, said on X “This is beyond horrifying, and those responsible for this terrible act must be held accountable. My heart is with Sam’s family, loved ones, and the entire LGBTQ+ community.”
Police who found his remains in a field in Yates County determined that Nordquist was “subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse” between December and his death earlier this month.
New York
Two indicted for supplying fentanyl to transgender activist before her death
Cecilia Gentili died in February
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace on Monday announced that two men had been charged with distributing the heroin and fentanyl that caused the death of 52-year-old Argentina-born Cecilia Gentili, a beloved prominent New York transgender activist.
New York City residents Michael Kuilan and Antonio Vent were named in the court documents which laid out the events leading to the death of Gentili.
According to the indictment and court documents, on Feb. 6, 2024, following a 911 call by Gentili’s partner, New York Police Department officers reported to Gentili’s home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and found Gentili dead in her bedroom. Gentili died due to the combined effect of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine and cocaine. Text messages, cell site data and other evidence revealed that Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin mixture to Gentili on Feb. 5, 2024, and Kuilan supplied Venti with those lethal narcotics.
In addition, law enforcement searched an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, belonging to Kuilan and found hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, a handgun and ammunition.
“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” stated Peace. “Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Our office will spare no effort in the pursuit of justice for the many New Yorkers who have lost loved ones due to this lethal drug.”
“Today’s indictment delivers a strong message to anyone who profits from poisoning our communities with illicit drugs: There are dedicated investigators, across multiple agencies, working tirelessly to disrupt your shameful industry by pinpointing the source of these unlawful substances,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “It is imperative that we continue to hold distributors accountable for their callous actions. I commend the NYPD’s partners at the DEA and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for their ongoing commitment to this critical mission.”
An undocumented immigrant and then-asylum seeker from Argentina, Gentili came to the U.S. pursuing a safer life to live authentically as a trans woman. She lived undocumented for 10 years, hustling, doing sex work which came with drug use. After surviving arrests and an immigration detention, she accessed recovery services and won asylum.
Among Gentili’s accomplishments was her work as a co-founder of her namesake COIN Clinic (Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network) at Callen-Lorde, a New York-based leader in LGBTQ healthcare. She later was the managing director of policy for the world-renowned GMHC (originally the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.)
Drag queens protest Trump at the Kennedy Center
Padilla forcibly removed from federal building for questioning DHS secretary
Pride and Progress: Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities in Quitting
Comings & Goings
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
Judge temporarily blocks executive orders targeting LGBTQ, HIV groups
PHOTOS: WorldPride Parade
PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert
