14 DAY TRIAL // Los Angeles man Brandon Lincoln Woodard was executed in broad daylight in Manhattan on Tuesday, December 11.
He was shot in the back of the head, Fox News writes, in what a preliminary examination rules as a professional hit.
Police believe he was lured on the midtown block in NYC under false pretenses, by a hitman who was specifically after him.
“[It] certainly appears to have been planned,” says Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
A CCTV photo was released to the press, in an effort to identify the mystery shooter. Footage from a security camera puts him waiting in his Lincoln for circa 30 minutes before the victim arrived.
As he was checking his phone the whole time, it is likely he had scheduled a meeting with Lincoln Woodard. The bald, bearded man was not recognized by the victim when they came face to face. He pulled the weapon out of his jacket pocket and was able to deliver the fatal shot in a split of a second.
Woodard had bought a one-way ticket to New York from California, and police have not yet been able to identify the purpose of his visit.
A father and an alleged promoter, the victim had a criminal record in both LA and NY. He was previously charged with possession of cocaine, battery and grand theft of property, and was involved in a hit-and-run. He served a day in jail following the accident, and nine days for the theft.
His mother and step-father, Sandra and Rodney Wellington, describe him as a “gentle and generous young man.”
They urge anyone that may possess information on his killer to come forward.
“There are no words to express our shock and sadness in the face of our family's horrendous tragedy. We eagerly await justice for Brandon,” they say in a statement.