Philip Moreno Staten Island, NY man arrested in the shooting deaths of Alafia Rodriguez and pregnant woman, Ana DeSousa. Motive unknown.
A man and his pregnant girlfriend have died after being fatally shot in a home invasion on Staten Island, Monday afternoon.
Arrested in the shooting death of Alafia ‘Laf’ Rodriguez, 46, and his girlfriend, Ana DeSousa, 33, was Philip Moreno, 43, of Port Richmond, Staten Island.
The suspect was taken into custody by the NYPD as he was leaving the home at 376 Grandview Avenue just after 5pm, The Staten Island Advance reports.
Cops found a .22-caliber semi-automatic Ruger handgun in his possession, according to AMNY.
Investigators also discovered a silencer at the home located on Grandview Ave. near Brabant St., across the street from the Mariners Harbor Houses.
Gunned down couple’s 20 month old daughter witnessed parents shooting deaths:
Notice of the shooting followed officers responding to reports of gunshots fired from inside the home.
When cops arrived, they found the bodies of Rodriguez and DeSousa, WNYW-TV reported.
The couple were pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, according to investigators.
DeSousa was believed to have been pregnant, according to police. The two had been dating for some three years, according to reports.
A two-year-old girl believed to be the couple’s daughter, Blue, was found uninjured inside the home. She was rushed to a nearby hospital. It is thought the child witnessed the fatal shooting of her parents.
An unidentified 43-year-old woman at the home was shot in the torso, though she is expected to survive.
The woman was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center in the West Brighton section of Staten Island, according to police.
She was listed in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery on Monday night.
A gun was recovered at the scene.
Philip Moreno, Port Richmond, SI man criminal history:
Moreno, the suspect, has a lengthy criminal history.
He spent 14 years in the maximum-security Sing Sing Correctional Facility after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 1992 shooting death of a 22-year-old man.
He has also been arrested and sentenced for various weapons and drug offenses.
Of note, Moreno was recently released on parole, according to authorities.
‘The situation at this point is fluid,’ Moreno’s attorney, Mark Fonte said.
‘I have shut down the interrogation of my client.
‘My office is attempting to assess the facts and determine what happened.’
‘He was a great father and an even better man,’ said Rodriguez’s mother, Cheryl via the nydailynews. ‘Ana was a wonderful mother. Everything they did was about their kids. We’re heartbroken.’
Of note, a regard on Facebook, revealed the suspect and Rodriguez being friends.
Police said they discovered narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the home.
Investigators are still trying to determine the motive of the shootings.
