In the early morning hours of a December day in Washington Heights, tragedy befell 27-year-old Yadel Garcia. Just after midnight on Sunday, December 3, 2017, Garcia was standing at the corner of Broadway and West 175th Street when he was approached by a group of men. In a sudden burst of violence, one of the men opened fire, striking Garcia multiple times in the back.
He was privately transported to Columbia University Medical Center, but the severity of his wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. A resident of Thayer Street in Inwood, his life was cut short in an act of violence that would soon become the subject of an intense police investigation.
The New York Police Department quickly began to piece together the events of that fatal morning. Their investigation led them to identify a suspect in the shooting. In January 2018, the NYPD publicly named 31-year-old Lee Almonte as the man wanted in connection with Garcia's murder. It was suggested that the motive behind the deadly encounter was a love triangle, as both Garcia and Almonte were reportedly romantically involved with the same woman. Authorities released a description of Almonte, describing him as being approximately 5-foot-11, weighing around 180 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair, and asked for the public's assistance in locating him.
For months, Lee Almonte remained a fugitive, his whereabouts unknown. The search for him extended beyond the confines of New York City. Then, in a turn of events facilitated by modern technology and social media, a breakthrough came in May 2018. Almonte was spotted in a photo on a barbershop's Instagram page in Los Angeles. Acting on this tip, law enforcement was able to locate and apprehend him on May 19th. Following his capture, Almonte was extradited back to New York City to face legal proceedings for his alleged role in the death of Yadel Garcia.
