Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Cuomo Staffer Carey Gabay's Killer Under Arrest, Official Say

 Carey Gabay was fatally shot in Brooklyn leading up to the West Indian Day Parade.
Carey Gabay was fatally shot in Brooklyn leading up to the West Indian Day Parade.
View Full Caption
New York State Governor's Office

CROWN HEIGHTS — Nine months after hunting for those responsible for the death of Carey Gabay, a staffer to Governor Andrew Cuomo killed in a shooting in Crown Heights on Labor Day, police have arrested a triggerman in the incident.

Micah Alleyne, 24, of Queens was charged with murder in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment in the shooting that killed 43-year-old Gabay as he was celebrating during the pre-West Indian Day Parade event, J’Ouvert.

Police arrested Alleyne on Thursday around 3 a.m. at a hotel in Queens, where he had been hiding from investigators, according to prosecutors and sources. He confessed to firing a weapon at the parade event and was arraigned Friday and ordered held without bail.

"There's strong evidence his bullet killed Mr. Gabay,” Ken Taub, homicide bureau chief for the Brooklyn District Attorney, told the Daily News after the arraignment.

Investigators have footage of Alleyne "admitting to firing a gun in the incident," he added.

Several more arrests are expected imminently in the case, sources said.

Investigators have been searching for nearly a year for Gabay’s killers, releasing multiple photos and video of suspects from inside the Ebbets Field apartment complex where the shooting took place. At least four other people are wanted for questioning in the fatal Sept. 7 shoot-out. Police have said Gabay was a bystander in the gang-related shooting.

After the arrest, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said he is determined to "get justice for Mr. Gabay and his family."

"We will continue to press forward until we hold everyone responsible for his death accountable," he said in a statement.

Gabay, a resident of Clinton Hill and son of Jamaican immigrants, grew up in The Bronx and attended Harvard Law School before working as first deputy general counsel at the Empire State Development Corp. in the Cuomo administration.

Governor Cuomo described him as "an exemplary public servant" in a statement following news of the arrest Friday.

"Today's arrest is a major step forward in the pursuit of justice for Carey's family and loved ones. I commend the investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts to ensure those responsible for Carey's death are held fully accountable for their actions," he said.

In response to his killing, the police department, Gabay's widow and local elected officials have spoken publicly about making J'Ouvert safer this year, including requiring a permit for the unofficial parade-like event.

On Friday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams applauded the arrest, urging "justice" in the case.

In honor of Gabay's life, a street near his home in Clinton Hill — Clinton Avenue between Willoughby and Myrtle avenues — has recently been renamed "Carey Gabay Way."