BY EMILY DAVENPORT AND ROBERT POZARYCKI
The NYPD charged an armed man who was caught leaving a Staten Island home where cops found two people, including a pregnant mother, shot to death on Monday afternoon.
Philip Moreno, 43, was originally brought in for questioning in connection with the May 11 murders of Ana DeSousa, 33, and Alafia Rodriguez, 46. He was officially charged on May 12 with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of a firearm, assault, reckless endangerment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
According to Assistant Chief Kenneth Corey, commander of Patrol Borough Staten Island, cops from the 121st Precinct were called to the victims’ residence on Grandview Avenue in Mariners Harbor at 5:16 p.m. on May 11 after receiving a 911 call regarding the shooting.
Moreno was observed walking out of the residence when the first officers arrived. During a search, they found in his possession a .22-caliber semi-automatic Ruger handgun. A silencer was also found at the location.
Other officers responding to the incident walked into the home and found DeSousa, Rodriguez and a third individual, a 43-year-old woman, in the living room with gunshot wounds.
Responding paramedics pronounced DeSousa, her unborn child and Rodriguez dead at the scene, Corey reported. EMT units rushed the 43-year-old woman to Richmond University Medical Center, where she’s listed in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery.
Cops found a 1-year-old girl, believed to be DeSousa’s daughter, inside the location unharmed, the chief reported during a press conference outside the 121st Precinct stationhouse.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown at this time. Corey reported that narcotics and related paraphernalia were found inside the residence.
Moreno’s last known residence is on Staten Island, the chief noted. The suspect has at least three prior convictions for illegal use and possession of a weapon.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
This story was updated on May 12 at 11:05 a.m.
