Homeless Felon Accused Of Shooting Man During Car Seat Exchange In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NH — A man previously from Queens, New York, waived arraignment in Hillsborough County Superior Court Monday for charges from a shooting incident Saturday.

Gil Diaz, 26, did not appear in the courtroom but agreed to be held on preventative detention —which will require him to stay at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections.

An affidavit outlined what occurred before the shooting, after, and during the booking process Diaz.

Fire, EMS, and police arrived on Orange Street and found a man with a gunshot wound to the leg. The man was very uncooperative with police, he was refusing to follow directives and get on the stretcher. Furthermore, he just kept shouting “I want my f**ng phone!” according to the report. The victim identified as “MRP” eventually was put onto a stretcher and transported to the Elliot Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

A witness told police that they saw a man casually walking away from the area between two houses in a northerly direction. He described the man as Hispanic with a white bandana sticking out of his back pocket.

Officers viewed and obtained copies of video surveillance that showed the shooting, and the suspect leaving the area. A short time later officers detained a man matching the description and he provided the name of Alan Diaz with a date of birth as December 1996. Officers compared the video images to the person detained and determined it was the same person and arrested Diaz.

At the police station, it was determined that the man was actually Gil Diaz, with a date of birth of February 1997, based on previous arrests in Queens, New York, where he is a convicted felon.

During the booking process, it was determined there was “evidentiary material” on the clothing that Diaz was wearing. New clothing was provided for Diaz to change into and he refused. After asking several times officers began to forcibly remove the clothing when Diaz reached into a front pocket and attempted to access a razor blade. Police struggled with him and eventually removed the blade and the clothing.

The bail document and affidavit obtained from the court indicate that Diaz lists himself as homeless, and has no fixed address.

In reviewing the video footage, police observed “MRP" walk from the south side of Orange Street to the north side of Orange Street to meet Diaz, who came out of 140 Orange St. In the video, they observed Diaz walk to the sidewalk with a child car seat and hand it over to MRP.

After handing the child's car seat over to MRP, there appeared to be a conversation. Police observed Diaz pull out a firearm and shoot one round into the victim’s left leg, the report said. Diaz walked north while the victim limped away east on Orange Street.

Sources have indicated that a search warrant was executed at 140 Orange St. and police removed several items.

A woman was not identified in the court paperwork but was present at the incident on Orange Street and the arrest on Chestnut Street. After leaving the arrest on Chestnut Street, the vehicle she was in was stopped and searched by police. It is unclear if she faces any charges at this time, sources have indicated she is also uncooperative with police.

Diaz has the right to request a bail and evidentiary hearing in the future to determine if he can be released from preventative detention.