Man shot and killed in car on Harlem street was dealing drugs: cops

The Harlem street where behind the wheel of his parked car is flooded with drugs, and police believe the victim was dealing when he was killed. on W. 135th St. near Broadway on Sunday when a gunman pulled up in an SUV around 6 p.m. Sunday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a Tuesday news conference.

The suspect circled the block and then double parked behind Espinal for several minutes before getting out of the SUV and approaching the victim, Kenny said. “[The] perpetrator walks up to the passenger side of the car, opens the door, reaches in, there’s a struggle and shots fired,” said the chief.

Espinal was blasted in the chest. He was rushed to , but he could not be saved. The gunman is still being sought, but police have a “very strong person of interest” they are looking for, according to Kenny. Espinal had eight prior arrests in the city, including a federal case in 2013 for possession of cocaine with intent to sell, Kenny said.

The shooting victim was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime and was released on parole in 2020, Department of Correction records show..