Multiple Boy Molester Shot and Killed W village NYC
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| Gunman pic on right(small) and left on stretcher |
The fugitive pedophile shot dead in the West Village yesterday was tracked down thanks to the CNN show "The Hunt," which was seen by the suspect's girlfriend on Sunday night. Police sources tell the Post she "was so disgusted that she contacted authorities and gave them his cellphone number," and investigators tracked Charles Mozdir's phone's "pings" to Greenwich Village.
Yesterday afternoon a New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force member spotted Mozdir in the neighborhood. He had been on the run from authorities since he failed to appear for his arraignment on child molestation charges in San Diego back in June 2012. The former wedding photographer was accused of molesting a friend's 7-year-old boy, and was also accused of molesting another boy whom he had been baby-sitting. A search of his home unearthed child porn and bestiality videos.
U.S. Marshals found Mozdir's abandoned car in rural Georgia in June 2012, covered with shrubbery with the license plates removed. Dogs followed his scent for some distance, but then the trail went cold. According to CNN, Mozdir, 32, was able to evade capture because he had EMT training and could "live off the land for extended periods of time." He also grew a beard and long hair, and was barely recognizable by his mugshot.
In addition to Mozdir's girlfriend's tip, investigators also received a tip that included the address of the smoke shop where yesterday's deadly shootout occurred. Mozdir had been working at the West 4th Street shop Smoking Culture, and was armed with a .32-caliber revolver when two U.S. Marshals and an NYPD detective entered the store yesterday shortly after 1 p.m.
Mozdir fired four or five rounds at the officers, striking Detective Mario Muniz twice in his bulletproof vest and once below it, in his lower abdomen, the Post reports. Muniz is in stable condition, and expected to recover. The two US marshals, Pat Lin and Ryan Westfield, were shot in the arm and leg, respectively, and are in stable condition. The marshals fired ten rounds at Mozdir, who succumbed to his wounds at Bellevue Hospital.
"I was in my apartment, and I heard, ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ " an 85-year-old neighbor tells the Post. "I said, ‘Gee, it’s late for the Fourth of July.’ ” Another witness tells the Daily News, "The cop came out holding his belly. He sat down in the open passenger side of their car, and other guys rushed to help him. They were pressing on his side. Another officer came out and sat on the sidewalk with his elbow bleeding.”
Photo: Antonio Antenucci; Gardiner Anderson
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