NYC parks employee charged with murder as hate crime in shooting of migrant

BROOKLYN – The NYC Parks Department employee accused of fatally shooting a Venezuelan migrant last month in Steuben Park now faces murder as a hate crime charge.

Seasonal employee Elijah Mitchell, 23, of Queens, was indicted on charges, including murder as a hate crime.

According to prosecutors, the victim, 30-year-old Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano, was sleeping inside a tent in the Brooklyn park, where Mitchell worked.

Investigators say Mitchell cleaned the park for work and allegedly went on a rampage, yelling and ripping off tarps because he was angry that migrants were staying there. That led to an argument between the two, where Mitchell allegedly showed a gun in his waistband.

Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano was sleeping inside a tent at Steuben Park where Elijah Mitchell worked, prosecutors say.

Three days later, investigators say Mitchell returned and shot Marcano in the chest.

In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said: “This defendant allegedly came to the location where the victim was staying, armed with a gun, to settle a score. This premeditated and coldblooded homicide is outrageous on many levels, not least because the alleged motive was hatred towards new arrivals to our city.”

Seasonal employee Elijah Mitchell, 23, of Queens, has been indicted on charges, including murder as a hate crime.

Mitchell pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Wednesday. He is charged in the indictment with second-degree murder as a hate crime, second-degree murder, illegal possession of a weapon, menacing as a hate crime and menacing. Bail was set at $350,000 cash or $2.5 million bond, and he was ordered to return to court on Oct. 23.

Mitchell’s public defender did not immediately return an email Wednesday, and no one answered the phone at the public defenders’ office in the late afternoon.

The Associated Press wire services helped contribute to this report.