A 23-year-old man was shot dead as he and his girlfriend slept Staten Island early Tuesday, police said.
The victim, identified by sources as Francesco Gonzalez, was shot in the face inside the house on Stanley Ave. near Pine St. in Tompkinsville about 2:35 a.m., cops said. The victim’s girlfriend was laying in bed with him but not hurt.
Gonzalez died at the scene.
Police said it wasn’t clear what sparked the shooting but that the victim was a member of the Original Stacks gang and had 13 arrests on his record, including for selling drugs and robbery. His last arrest, in 2020, was for weapon possession.
He was sentenced to jail on drug and ammunition possession charges last year, the Staten Island Advance reported.
Gonzalez may have been killed in connection with a dispute over a woman, the Advance reported, citing a law enforcement source.
Homicides citywide are up 13% this year through Sunday, with 204 slayings compared to 180 during the same time period last year. The number of people shot citywide this year has spiked 48%, with 777 victims compared to 525 by this time last year.
