A New York City man who police say was wanted in connection with two deadly shootings during a 48-hour robbery spree has been taken into custody, ending a days-long manhunt that involved the FBI and the NYPD.
Jesus Acosta, 31, was arrested Friday morning after authorities appealed to the public for help finding him. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his location and arrest, while additional community support was also offered during the search. The NYPD later confirmed that Acosta had been taken into custody.
The arrest came after investigators connected Acosta to two separate shootings in Brooklyn and the Bronx that occurred roughly 48 hours apart.
Both incidents involved alleged robberies, and both left a New Yorker dead.
The first shooting happened in Brooklyn
The first deadly incident occurred shortly after midnight Sunday at American Best Wings & Pizza on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
According to police, officers responding to a 911 call found two men suffering from gunshot wounds inside the restaurant.
One of the victims, 44-year-old MD Yousuf, had been shot in the head and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
A second man, 39, was shot in the leg and survived. Police said he was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Yousuf’s death has also left a family overseas and in New York facing a devastating loss.
A family fundraiser identified him as a husband and father of two who was the primary source of income for his household. Relatives said they were raising money to help return his body to Bangladesh for burial, cover funeral expenses and provide support for his wife, mother and two daughters, who are 12 and 3 years old.
The fundraiser described Yousuf as a hardworking man who supported his family and regularly showed up for work.
Investigators later alleged that the shooting was part of the robbery spree they were trying to link to Acosta.
Two days later, another shooting
The second deadly incident happened Tuesday morning at a Bronx deli.
Police said a gunman entered 149 Grill & Deli on East 149th Street at approximately 12:16 a.m. and approached a 33-year-old man.
The suspect allegedly opened fire, striking the man multiple times in the chest before taking an undisclosed amount of cash from behind the register and fleeing.
The victim was initially taken to Lincoln Hospital in stable condition, but he later died from his injuries.
The victim was identified by his family as Tayvon Shuler, who was known to loved ones as “Plucky.”
His sister, Tanasha Neal, publicly mourned her brother and said she was struggling to process his death. She also created a fundraiser to help with his memorial services.
The two shootings were separated by approximately two days and happened in different boroughs.
Investigators believed the incidents were connected.
The search for Acosta
As detectives worked to identify the suspect, the NYPD released surveillance images and asked New Yorkers to help locate Acosta.
Police described him as approximately 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing around 175 pounds, with short brown hair and brown eyes.
Authorities also noted identifying tattoos, including “Bronx” on his hand and “Bobby” on his left forearm.
The search intensified after investigators identified Acosta as a suspect in the two deadly shootings.
The FBI subsequently offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information that would lead to his capture. United Bodegas of America also offered an additional $10,000 reward.
That public search ended Friday morning when Acosta was arrested.
The NYPD thanked its officers, detectives and members of the public who helped investigators locate him.
Acosta had recently been released on parole
The case has drawn additional attention because Acosta was not a stranger to the criminal justice system.
According to records cited by Fox News and the New York Post, Acosta had been released on parole in April after serving roughly 10 years in state prison for assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Fox News also reported that he had 13 prior arrests.
The details of his previous criminal history have become part of a wider debate following the shootings, particularly among business and community groups concerned about violent crime.
United Bodegas of America said it was relieved Acosta had been taken off the streets but criticized the criminal justice system over his release.
Those comments are political and policy arguments, however, and do not establish legal responsibility for the new allegations against Acosta.
The current case will be determined through the criminal court process.
What investigators say happened
The allegations against Acosta describe two separate robbery-related shootings.
In Brooklyn, police say the suspect was involved in the shooting at the wings restaurant, where Yousuf was killed and another man was wounded.
In the Bronx, investigators say the same suspect later entered a deli, shot Shuler and took cash before escaping.
The fact that the incidents occurred in different boroughs within roughly 48 hours was a major factor in the urgency of the investigation.
But while police have identified Acosta as the suspect and arrested him, the allegations still have to be tested through the court system.
An arrest is not a conviction, and Acosta is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Two families are now grieving
Behind the investigation are two victims whose deaths have affected families in very different ways.
Yousuf was a husband and father whose family is now trying to arrange his burial and cope with the loss of the person described as its primary provider.
Shuler’s family is mourning a 33-year-old brother remembered by those close to him as “Plucky.”
His sister’s public message came as the family attempted to raise money for his memorial.
Neither family expected a normal night in New York City to end with a loved one being killed in a robbery-related shooting.
Now both are waiting for the legal process to move forward.
The manhunt is over, but the case is not
The immediate search for Acosta has ended, but the investigation itself is far from finished.
Police will still have to establish the evidence supporting the allegations, and prosecutors will determine what charges Acosta will face as the case proceeds.
Authorities had not immediately released full details about the circumstances of his arrest or provided a complete list of charges at the time of the latest reports.
For investigators, the arrest represents a major step after several days of searching.
For the families of MD Yousuf and Tayvon Shuler, however, it is only one part of a much longer process.
Two men lost their lives in separate New York City shootings just days apart.
One suspect is now in custody.
The questions surrounding the killings — and the evidence that prosecutors will ultimately present in court — will now become the focus of the next stage of the case.
For now, authorities have ended the manhunt, but the legal battle over what happened during those two deadly nights in Brooklyn and the Bronx is only beginning.