Mother of NYPD officer shot dead answering her front door
‘She was the best that this world has,’ says grief-stricken husband of Anna Torres. ‘I want to know why this guy did it.’
The mother of an NYPD officer has been shot dead on the steps of her Queens home in a brazen daylight attack.
Anna Torres, 51, was shot twice as she answered the door of her family home on 109th Avenue in Ozone Park just after 2.30pm on Wednesday.
Police say suspect 41-year-old Giuseppe Canzani fled the scene in a black Chevy Traverse SUV before handing himself in at a nearby precinct an hour later. He was expected to appear in court on Thursday.
The suspect matched the appearance of a man captured on surveillance video from a neighbour’s home at the time of the shooting, NYPD Deputy Chief Jerry O’Sullivan told a press conference on Wednesday night.
The man could be seen calmly walking down the street while appearing to hold a gun and get into a dark SUV, as a mother and child on the other side of the street run in the opposite direction.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that a 41-year-old male walked up to house, knocked on the door, and when the female answered, the male fired multiple rounds,” Mr O’Sullivan told reporters.
“The same male exited the house, got into a vehicle. A short time later, a vehicle traveled to the 106 Precinct.”
Mr O’Sullivan said the suspect placed a .45 calibre handgun on the sidewalk before being arrested without incident.
Police did not release any details of a possible motive, and it is not thought to be related to Ms Torres’ son’s work as a police officer.
Her husband of 25 years David Aguilar told NY1 Noticias the family was “destroyed”.
“I can’t speak. She was the best that this world has. I want to know why this guy did it. I want to know why.”
Mr Aguilar said his elderly mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were at home at the time of the shooting.
He was unaware of why his wife was targeted, but said he had faith that the police would get answers.