Police commissioner calls fatal shooting in NYC's Greenwich Village an anti-gay hate crime

5/18/2013

NEW YORK — Police say the gunman who killed a gay man on a Manhattan street in an apparent hate crime has a previous arrest for attempted murder.

New York City police say 33-year-old Elliot Morales used anti-gay slurs before fatally shooting 32-year-old Marc Carson tday in Greenwich Village.

Investigators say Morales was carrying forged identification but was identified after it was submitted to the department's Facial Recognition Unit. Details on his previous arrest weren't immediately available.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says the suspect shot Carson in the face after apparently asking him if he wanted to die. He says Carson and a companion were walking along Sixth Avenue when they were confronted.

Kelly says the suspect flashed a gun and threatened a bartender just minutes earlier.