Who is Farrakhan Muhammad? Times Square shooter identified as CD peddler, 31, who allegedly aimed at brother
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A 31-year-old CD peddler has been named as the suspect in the Times Square shooting on May 8. Farrakhan Muhammad was identified as the shooter after an odd encounter the police had with his brother, who spilled the beans. As of the time of writing, Muhammad is still at large, and police welcome tips if anyone has spotted him.
On Saturday, May 8, Muhammad fired into a crowd at Times Square, injuring three people including a four-year-old girl, who was saved by Officer Alyssa Vogel. According to reports, Vogel was seen clutching the child as stray bullets were fired at the crowd.
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Muhammad was named as the suspect after the cops had an unusual encounter with his brother. Following the shooting, images of Muhammad were widely distributed. Then, two cops who were working on a stabbing at a West 31st Street hotel, spotted a man who looked exactly like Muhammad, right down to his clothes. When they approached the individual, the man said, "I'm his brother". The individual was not named, but reportedly helped identify Muhammad as the suspect, and even provided police with a possible motive. Reportedly, Muhammad was aiming for his brother in the crowd, after the two got into a heated argument.
Who is Farrakhan Muhammad?
Not much is known about the 31-year-old. According to reports, he is a CD peddler but it is unclear where in the city he lives. ABC7 reported that he is "known to operate" near Times Square as an illegal vendor. It is also unclear how Muhammad ended up with a gun, given that New York has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Police were not able to recover the gun, but have found casings from the incident.
Muhammad does have one previous arrest to his name, In 2020, he was busted for assaulting a passerby, who tried to intervene when Muhammad was harassing a couple in the street. According to reports, "Muhammad allegedly pushed the good Samaritan into a trash can before the suspect’s buddy punched the victim in the face." It is unclear if he was charged for that incident.
The NYPD is seeking any information on the location of Muhammad and urges anyone who has any tips to call 800577TIPS.