Suspect In Upper East Side Auto Shop Murder Is Arrested: Police

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Police have arrested a Georgia man and charged him with murder in connection with the August shooting at an Upper East Side auto shop that killed a 33-year-old employee.

Zachery Bryant, 37, a resident of Conyers, Ga., faces charges including murder, attempted murder and assault stemming from the Aug. 23 shooting at NYC Auto Repair on East 95th Street.

The victim was identified by other outlets as Mario Gonazalez, the shop's manager who was described by his relatives as a "giant teddy bear." Before Bryant's arrest, police said the suspect may have been a disgruntled employee.

WANTED for HOMICIDE:
On Mon. 8/23 at 9:30AM, suspect did shoot two victims, causing one victim's death, on East 95 Street, 1st-2nd Ave, Upper East Side & fled north on 1st Ave in a blue Chevy.

Reward up to $3,500 for info leading to arrest. Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM @NYPDTips. pic.twitter.com/BLfuJ9J5vA
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) August 25, 2021

A 43-year-old man was also shot in the back and injured.

Shots were fired around 9:30 a.m. in the shop, which sits between First and Second avenues. In the following days, police released surveillance footage that they said showed the suspect getting into a blue Chevrolet SUV, which he used to flee north along First Avenue.

An NYPD spokesperson could not say Friday where Bryant had been arrested or whether he was, in fact, a former shop worker.

The shooting, like the April murder near Lexington Avenue, rattled the low-crime Upper East Side, which saw just one killing in all of 2020.

Previous coverage: 1 Dead, 1 Injured In Shooting At Upper East Side Body Shop: NYPD