Mario Gonzalez

Mario Gonzalez-Alcantara, a 33-year-old Hispanic man, was known to his family as a “giant teddy bear.” His brother-in-law said that while Mario put up the facade of a hard New Yorker, he “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Gonzalez-Alcantara grew up in New York before moving to Florida for a time, where he earned his GED. He eventually returned to the city, living with his mother in the Bronx and working as the manager of an auto repair shop on the Upper East Side. He was a devoted son who would rush home whenever his mother needed him. His family remembered him as a die-hard sneakerhead who loved sports and collected jerseys.

On the morning of August 23, 2021, a man later identified as Zachery Bryant parked his car near the NYC Auto Inc. shop on East 95th Street and waited for several hours. At approximately 9:25 a.m., Bryant exited his car, his face covered and his hands in latex gloves, and entered the business. He approached the front desk where Gonzalez-Alcantara was working. After a brief verbal altercation, Bryant pulled out a revolver and fired several shots. Gonzalez-Alcantara was struck multiple times in the torso. A second employee, 43-year-old William Fuentes, was hit once in the back. Bryant then fled the scene in a blue Chevy SUV.

Both wounded men were rushed to a hospital, where Gonzalez-Alcantara was pronounced dead. Fuentes was reported to be in stable condition, though the bullet remained lodged near his spine. Investigators believed the attack was targeted and that the gunman was a disgruntled current or former employee. The New York City Police Department released surveillance footage of the suspect as they worked to identify him.

The investigation quickly led to Zachery Bryant. On September 10, 2021, less than three weeks after the murder, members of the NYPD Warrants Squad located Bryant and arrested him. He was found inside the same car he had used to flee the auto shop. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered two firearms, including the revolver used in the shooting.

Bryant was charged with murder and attempted murder. His case went to trial, and on September 27, 2024, a New York State Supreme Court jury found him guilty on all counts, including Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and Assault in the First Degree. On November 15, 2024, Zachery Bryant, 40, was sentenced to serve 30 years-to-life in state prison.