Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Teen facing murder and federal gun charge in East Harlem shooting of 69-year-old woman
By
Phil Corso
Published Sep 4, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Phil Corso
Published Sep 4, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An 18-year-old man has been charged in federal court in connection with the East Harlem shooting that killed a 69-year-old woman last week, officials said. The NYPD said he is also facing murder and other charges.
Faisil McCants was arrested Thursday and faces federal robbery charges under the Hobbs Act, a law that covers robberies affecting interstate commerce, and using a machine gun during a crime of violence, authorities said. In addition to the federal case, the NYPD said McCants was also charged with three counts of murder, along with robbery and multiple weapons charges.
According to federal prosecutors and the NYPD, McCants opened fire on a public street with a machine gun after robbing a man they believed was selling marijuana, killing Robin Wright, a bystander standing on the sidewalk with her walker.
Wright was hit in the face by one of the 15 rounds McCants allegedly fired as he fled the scene, the NYPD said. She died at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, police said.
“Robin Wright was an innocent bystander who lost her life to gun violence — and today, justice was served in her memory," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. "Removing illegal firearms from our streets remains at the forefront of the NYPD’s public safety mission, and we will continue to ensure that those who carry them are held accountable."
Surveillance video from the scene shows McCants and two accomplices approaching the robbery victim, grabbing two backpacks and fleeing, according to a federal complaint. McCants allegedly turned and fired back down the street toward the man, striking Wright instead, authorities said.
Investigators recovered 15 shell casings from the sidewalk, according to officials.
“As alleged, after robbing a drug dealer at gunpoint, Faisil McCants fired a machine gun in the middle of the day on the busy streets of New York City, killing another person,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “The death of that wholly innocent bystander, a 69-year-old woman who was merely standing with her walker on the sidewalk in East Harlem, is as tragic as it is senseless. It is unacceptable."
Federal officials said the case remains open and two co-conspirators were still being sought.
McCants was expected to be arraigned in federal court on Friday. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to authorities.
His attorney's information was not immediately available.
Tagged
manhattan
new york city
public safety
Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .