Slain ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Crew Members’ Friends Speak Out

The Law & Order: Organized Crime crew member shot and killed in Brooklyn early Tuesday morning was identified as Johnny Pizarro, 31, police said Wednesday. Pizarro was sitting in his car and enforcing parking restrictions while the NBC production was preparing to film on North Henry Street, police told the New York Times. Pizarro’s friends and coworkers were shocked by his death.

Cisco, one of Pizarro’s coworkers and a longtime friend, told Variety Pizarro was raising six children in Queens. “He was a good guy, not a troublemaker,” Cisco said. “This is the safest neighborhood out of all the five boroughs. New York City is unpredictable.”

Organized Crime producers shut down filming on Tuesday and police taped off the scene of the shooting. People who knew Pizarro stayed in the area though, with some telling Variety they were frustrated by the police. “They wanna know what’s going on? We wanna know what’s going on,” one person told the outlet. Another said the police were “a—holes.”

Others at the scene told Variety they thought the neighborhood was peaceful. One business owner said he was disappointed that he has to think about his safety now. The nearby Church of Christ at Greenpoint opened its doors for counseling after the shooting, while other passers-by left candles and flowers as a memorial for Pizarro. “No one has dealt with this. It’s devastating,” an Organized Crime crewmember who wished to remain anonymous told Variety.

“He was like a brother to me, my little brother. I’m destroyed on the inside. What happened to him could have happened to any one of us,” one co-worker told the New York Post Wednesday. “Right now I’m hurting. I’m going to miss him a lot. He was a pain in the butt, a comedian, a jokester … good father, good son, good uncle. He lived for his kids and worked more than anything else. All he talked about was his kids.”

Pizarro was killed about an hour before Organized Crime filming was scheduled to start Tuesday. A lone shooter approached his car, opened the door, and shot him in the head and neck police said, reports the Times. Pizarro was rushed to a nearby Brooklyn hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No arrests have been made and there is no known motive. Police said a person described as a “short, thin man” wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants was seen fleeing the scene. Police sources told the Post the rumors they thought Pizarro’s death was connected to drug dealing were not true.

“We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result,” a spokeswoman for NBC and Universal Television said Tuesday. “We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ press secretary Fabien Levy also issued a statement on the shooting. “The safety of all New Yorkers is our top priority,” Levy said. “No shooting is acceptable, which is why we are working every day to get illegal guns off New York City streets. The NYPD is actively investigating the fatal shooting of a crew member of Law and Order: Organized Crime early this morning. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends, and coworkers during this difficult time, and will work diligently to bring the suspect to justice and stem the tide of gun violence we are seeing.”