New York man who shot, wounded ex-boss, then fled through subway tunnels, sentenced to 15 years

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man who shot and wounded his former boss on a Manhattan street and then escaped through the city’s vast subway system was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

Eduardo Diaz, 44, of Queens, had pleaded guilty last October to attempted assault in the November 2024 shooting on the Upper West Side.

Diaz worked at a computer store and, after being fired, sent threatening text messages to his former boss, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said Thursday. Several months later, Diaz went to the store and confronted the 47-year-old victim.

The gun initially jammed when Diaz tried to open fire on the man, who fled from the business. But a few minutes later, Diaz fired multiple shots at the man on the street, striking him in the ankle, hip and shoulder, Bragg said.

The man then fell to the ground, but Diaz continued shooting before fleeing the scene on foot and entering a nearby subway station, eventually escaping through the tunnels. The incident disrupted subway service, as riders were forced to lie on subway car floors and shelter in place while police shut down power to the station and officers searched for the shooter.

Diaz was arrested the next day in Queens, and police recovered a weapon, ammunition and clothing he was seen wearing during the shooting, Bragg said.

“Eduardo Diaz has been held accountable for committing a vicious shooting against his former boss which recklessly spilled onto a public city street,” Bragg said. “This attack significantly injured the victim, who is still recovering to this day.”