Queens man charged with murder of migrant in Brooklyn park

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Elijah Mitchell, 23, of Queens, has been charged with murder as a hate crime and related charges in connection with the shooting death of a Venezuelan immigrant who was sleeping in a park near the Ryerson Street shelter in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday. “This defendant allegedly came to the location where the victim was staying armed with a gun to settle a score,” Gonzalez said in a press release. “This premeditated and cold-blooded murder is egregious on many levels, not the least of which is that the alleged motive was hatred toward newcomers to our city.” Mitchell was arraigned Wednesday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun.

Mitchell, a seasonal worker for the New York City Parks Department, is accused of shooting Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano, 30, in the chest at around 10:40 a.m. on July 21. seen running He left the small park, got into a blue sedan that he said belonged to him and drove away, Rodriguez said.

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