Jose Urena Moran, a 30-year-old Dominican man from Brooklyn, was killed on April 5, 2026, after violence erupted on an Easter Sunday evening in Cypress Hills. The shooting happened just before 6 p.m. outside a deli at 2961 Fulton Street, near Cleveland Street and the elevated J train line. What appeared to begin as an argument on the sidewalk quickly turned into a deadly confrontation, leaving Moran fatally wounded and another man, age 50, critically injured.
Police said Moran and the
second victim were shot multiple times. Emergency responders rushed both men to Brookdale Hospital, where Moran was later pronounced dead. The other victim remained in critical condition in the aftermath of the shooting. Reports described the attack as sudden and close-range, with surveillance footage allegedly showing the gunman walking up after a dispute and firing several shots at the victims on the sidewalk.
Authorities identified the accused shooter as Michael Mendoza Cardona, 24, of Cypress Hills. He was arrested shortly after the incident and charged on April 6, 2026, with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Police sources said the shooting stemmed from some kind of dispute, though investigators had not publicly released a detailed motive.
The case drew attention because the violence unfolded in a public area on a holiday evening, in a neighborhood where the accused and the victim were both reported to have ties. Online reports said a firearm was recovered and that more than a dozen shell casings were found at the scene. As of the latest available reporting, Mendoza Cardona was the named suspect in custody, and the investigation remained ongoing while prosecutors moved forward with the murder and related charges.
