NYC Subway Slaying Suspect Arrested In Chaotic End To Manhunt

NEW YORK CITY — A manhunt for Andrew Abdullah ended with a chaotic arrest hours after he was publicly identified as the suspect in Sunday's unprovoked Q train killing, according to the NYPD.

"Andrew Abdullah has been placed into custody," the NYPD announced on Twitter about 3:20 p.m.

The tweet capped a wild hour in which multiple outlets reported Abdullah, 25, either surrendered at the 5th Precinct in Chinatown or failed to turn up.

Police confirmed what photographs circulating online appeared to show — that Abdullah was in custody — just as public defenders levied accusations that the hand-over had been badly handled.

The Legal Aid Society released a statement blasting authorities, who they claimed stepped on negotiations to get Abdullah to surrender.

“Before Andrew Abdullah could voluntarily surrender himself to the local precinct, he was needlessly ambushed out front of our Manhattan Trial Office by law enforcement, denied of his opportunity to first consult with counsel," Legal Aid attorneys said in a statement.

"Since last night, we have been actively speaking with the New York Police Department and the New York County District Attorney’s Office to negotiate his surrender, and what transpired today was completely inappropriate and unwarranted given those conversations."

Police officials confirmed a task force arrested Abdullah in front of Legal Aid's Thomas Street office.

NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said they learned Abdullah planned to surrender, and had been give "ample time" to do so, but didn't.

To add to the confusion, it's unclear the role played by a Brooklyn pastor who pulled up to the station in a Rolls Royce, as the New York Post reported.

Bishop Lamor Whitehead told reporters outside the 5th Precinct that he'd spoken with Mayor Eric Adams Tuesday about Abdullah's surrender, according to Twitter video posted by THE CITY reporter Katie Honan.

"We had multiple conversations," Whitehead said. "He was very in support of this man turning himself in because Mayor Adams is cleaning this city up."

Whitehead is the founder of Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches in Canarsie who calls himself a mentee of Adams on the organization's website.

Adams refused to elaborate on how any negotiations with Whitehead led to Abdullah's arrest at a subsequent press conference.

"No," Adams said, cutting off questions about Whitehead. "We’re not."

New Details, But No Motive

Witnesses told police they saw a gunman pacing and muttering on the Manhattan-bound Q train in the moments before Daniel Enriquez, 48, was fatally shot, the Chief of Detectives told reporters Tuesday.

“The only distinguishable words heard were, ‘No phones,’” Essig said.

Enriquez, who lived in Park Slope and worked for Goldman Sachs, was headed to brunch in Manhattan. He decided to use the subway after Uber's surge pricing became too expensive, his partner said.

Detectives don't know what the gunman meant by "no phones" — perhaps a warning to not film the imminent shooting, which appears to have occurred without provocation, according to Essig.

“That’s a big mystery in this one,” he said. “He just targeted this poor individual and for reasons we don’t know.”

Shooter Slips Past Police

The shooter — Abdullah, according to cops — left the train after it arrived at the Canal and Centre streets subway station and handed the gun to a homeless man who did not know him, authorities said.

Police later tracked down the gun — a 9mm Ruger pistol that was reported stolen Virginia in 2018 — and found it was a ballistic match to the murder weapon, Essig said.

But long before tracking down the gun, transit officers apparently stopped the shooter before letting him go.

Surveillance footage shows Abdullah changed his clothing before he was stopped by transit officers about 11 minutes after the shooting, Essig said.

But he didn't match the description and was allowed to pass, according to the Chief of Detectives.

Explained Essig, "He had altered his appearance."

A Criminal Record

Abdullah has a long criminal record and is a member of the Nine Block gang, Essig said.

Past arrests include a gang takedown which resulted in attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy charges, for which he received a 30-month prison sentence, Essig said.

Abdullah was released in June 2019, but returned to law enforcement's radar. Essig said police arrested Abdullah in January on a loaded firearm charge, for which he made bail ahead of a June 6 trial date.

He also faced arrest for a March domestic violence incident, the theft of a Lexus in April and a strong-arm robbery that same month, Essig said.

“The violence on the Q train last Sunday morning was committed by another repeat offender who was given every leeway by the criminal justice system,” Sewell said.

“The murder of Daniel Enriquez is every New Yorker’s worst nightmare."

Patch editor Kathleen Culliton contributed reporting.