NYC man accused of shooting former boss: 'I should be fine'
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) --- A disgruntled former employee is accused of shooting his former boss during a quarrel on the Upper West Side Thursday morning, police said.
Eduardo Diaz, 42, was arrested Friday and charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD.
Diaz allegedly shot Boris Shapiro, 47, in the leg and shoulder near West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue at around 9:20 a.m., according to the NYPD.
A video showed Shapiro down on the ground surrounded by police shortly after he was shot. The victim was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“I’m stable. I should be fine," Shapiro told PIX11 News exclusively.
The business owner said he fired Diaz earlier this year before the suspect showed up at his business, Lincoln Business Machines, Thursday with a gun. But he left without harming anyone.
Shapiro followed him up Columbus Avenue.
“I wanted to call police. He came in [the shop] with a gun and I was afraid he would come back and trap us, so I called 911. And that’s when he saw me and ran after me,” Shapiro said.
Seconds later bullets littered the street. Some hit a nearby bus stop, and others flew through doors before two hit Shapiro.
Diaz ducked into a nearby subway station after the incident, sparking a manhunt until he was picked up in Queens Friday morning.
Diaz kept his head down as detectives marched him out of the 20th Precinct in Manhattan Friday afternoon. He has no prior arrests, police said.
His arraignment was pending Friday.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.