One Worker Dead as Shootings Stop Production on Two TV Shows

Brooklyn, NY (WorkersCompensation.com) – Filming came to a halt last week after shootings rang out on set, killing one worker and coming close to harming another, witnesses said.  

In Brooklyn filming for the television show “Law & Order: Organized Crime” came to a halt when a man hired to enforce parking restrictions was fatally shot near the set, police said.   

Officials identified the victim as Johnny Pizarro, 31, of Queens. Pizarro was hired by the production facility to make sure the street near where the series was being filmed was clear for vehicles affiliated with the show to park. Police said Pizarro was sitting in his car when an assailant went up to the vehicle, opened the door and shot him in the head and neck. Pizarro was taken to nearby Woodhull Hospital Center in Brooklyn, but was pronounced dead at the hospital.   

While witnesses said a short, thin man in a black-hooded sweatshirt running from the area where the shooting occurred, police have made no arrests and no motive had been established last week. Police said they are working to determine whether the shooting had to do with Pizarro’s position as a production parking attendant, or may have been related to some other dispute.   

According to Keith Purce, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1101, parking assistants face hazardous conditions on set.   

“CWA offers our deepest condolences to Johnny Pizarro’s family and friends,” Purce said in a statement. “Our members’ safety is our highest priority and the PPAs perform an inherently dangerous job which entails long hours at night, sometimes by themselves, on the New York City streets securing parking. The union has raised these safety issues in negotiations with the production companies. We will continue to pursue provisions in our Agreements that will provide the safest possible working environment for our members.”  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, said the shooting in a high-profile setting is indicative of the rise in crime New York is seeing.   

Fabien Levy, Adams spokesman, said the city would “work diligently to bring the suspect to justice.”  

“The safety of all New Yorkers is our top priority,” Mr. Levy said. “No shooting is acceptable.”  

“Law & Order: Organized Crime” airs on NBC and stars Christopher Meloni. The show is set in New York and films in the city.    

“We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result,” a spokeswoman for NBC and Universal Television said in a statement. “We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate.”  

New York is the location for more than 30 television shows, the filming of which can cause headaches for local residents where parking is at a premium. Film crews typically post notices on light poles about upcoming filming dates and times. But prior to filming workers like Pizarro will ask residents to move their cars, as well as sit out all night to ensure the streets are emptied.   

Officials said the night prior to filming, production crews asked cars to be off the street by 10 p.m. Monday for filming that was scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Tuesday. Pizarro was killed around 5 a.m. Tuesday.   

A shooting in Chicago halted production on the show "Justified" the next day.   

Officials with the Chicago Police Department said production on the limited television series "Justified: City Primeval" came to a halt around 1 a.m. on Thursday when gun fire erupted between two cars driving near the set. The incident sent crew members, including star Timothy Oliphant, running for cover. Police said the two cars ran through barricades around the production area.   

No one was injured during the incident, but witnesses said shell casings were later found on the set.   

A crew member, who wished to remain anonymous, told Variety they heard popping near the set.   

“I’m originally from a military town, so I know what gunshots sound like,” the crewmember told Variety. As the sounds got louder and louder, they said, the assistant director told crew members to get down over the walkie talkies.   

“They drove right past our U-Crane camera arm, and our crane operators were probably the closest to everything while these people were shooting at one another,” the crew member said. “The U-Crane had to drive and take a left to get away from them.”   

The crew member also said that one production assistant moved out of the way just as a bullet hit the glass of a bus stop near them and shattered the glass.   

Filming halted after the shooting and was shut down on Thursday and Friday of last week as well. Filming resumed Monday.