Police have made an arrest in the killing of a woman hit by a stray bullet in her New York City home.
Issam Elabbar, 31, was arrested on murder and other charges in the death of Bertha Arriaga, police said Saturday.
Police officers responding to a 911 call at Arriaga’s home in Queens shortly after midnight on Wednesday found her unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head.
The 43-year-old mother of three was pronounced dead at the scene.
Arriaga’s family has said she was hit by a stray bullet after she was awoken by a commotion outside and peered out a bedroom window.
“This tragedy has left the community outraged, that a mother can be shot and killed in her children’s bedroom while looking out the window,” Queens North Detective Borough Commanding Officer Julie Morrill said on a conference call with reporters.
Morrill said police tracked down Elabbar through tips and the use of video showing him, with a cast on his left leg, firing one round toward the victim’s window before fleeing.
The name of Elabbar’s lawyer wasn’t immediately available on Saturday.
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