An East Harlem man was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly shooting a Bronx man to death during an argument at a neighborhood liquor store back in December, police reported.
Isaiah Smith, 35, was taken into custody by the NYPD Warrant Squad at his home within the Johnson Houses public housing complex on East 112th Street.
Sources familiar with the investigation said that Smith was identified as the suspect who started the deadly argument with Darrel McAllister, 24, of Stratford Avenue in the Bronx, inside the shop at 60 East 111th St. at about 9:37 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2020.
According to law enforcement sources, McAllister was among a group of individuals inside the store who got into a verbal dispute with several other men. The argument turned violent, authorities said, when one of the members of the rival group pulled out a gun and started firing — with one of the shots striking McAllister.
After being struck in the face, cops said, McAllister ran out of the store, only to collapse on the sidewalk thereafter.
Officers from the 23rd Precinct and EMS units responded to the shooting. Paramedics rushed McAllister to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Law enforcement sources said detectives were able to link Smith to the crime through video footage obtained from the liquor store and near the Johnson Houses.
Following his arrest on Feb. 23, Smith was brought to the 23rd Precinct stationhouse, where he was officially booked on counts of murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
