A New York woman known as “the mayor of City Island,” where she worked for years as a construction flagger, was fatally shot Wednesday in broad daylight at a Bronx construction site.
The shocking ordeal began at 12:29 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of City Island Avenue and City Island Road on City Island, a quaint enclave in Long Island Sound just off the Bronx coast, when police were called to a 911 call about an assault in progress, the NYPD says in a statement.
After laying down his bike, he can be seen walking toward her as she gets up and runs away – falling to the ground after he apparently shoots her.
Scene where Lizbeth Mass was shot.Pix 11
She was shot six times, say police.
Mass’s boyfriend, Dwayne Walker, 58, who was allegedly behind the wheel of the Hyundai when it first struck Reyes, can then be seen grabbing Reyes and throwing him onto the hood of the car, punching him repeatedly.
Mass was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, the NYPD says in a statement.
“She was beautiful,” Walker told theDaily NewsThursday night. “She was everybody’s person, everybody’s friend. She was the one at the party who got everybody dancing. Everywhere she went, she drew a crowd.”
Bystanders held onto Reyesuntil an IRS agent who was in the area arrested him, ABC 7 reports.
Reyes was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
On Thursday, Reyes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, criminal use of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD tells PEOPLE in an email.
It was not immediately clear if he had entered a plea or retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.
“She always has a friendly smile for him, talks to him,” he said.
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“We don’t know what triggered him,” Essig said.
Unrequited Love?
Essig said investigators believe “there was no relationship” between Mass and Reyes and are still trying to determine Reyes' alleged motive.
But police believe Reyes may have wanted to date Mass,WPIX reports.
Walker told theDaily Newsthat Mass was friendly to everyone, including Reyes. “She befriended him,” he told the paper. “She said this guy would bring her lunch sometimes.”
Walker told the paper that on Wednesday, just before the alleged shooting, Mass introduced Reyes to him.
“I spoke to this guy and he seemed OK,” said Walker.
Lizbeth’s brother, Raul Mass, said Reyes allegedly grew enraged when he learned that she had a boyfriend, he told theDaily News.
“When my sister presented her boyfriend to him, he changed his look,” said Raul. “I think he didn’t know she had a boyfriend,” said Mass.
“He just exploded,” said Walker.
Walker has not been charged.
As police continue to investigate, Lizbeth’s loved ones are mourning her loss.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Walker told theDaily News. “Nobody deserves this.”
source: people.com
