NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A cab driver was robbed and shot to death before his body was dumped in Brooklyn on Friday, police and taxi drivers advocates say.
The man was found lying on the street near Williams and Atlantic avenues in East New York shortly after 3 a.m., according to the NYPD.
Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fernando Mateo, of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, identified the driver as 29-year-old Noman Saleemi.
Mateo said Saleemi had been robbed and shot in the head before his body was "dumped in the street like an animal" and his car stolen.
Mateo told 1010 WINS that a driver's job is one of the most dangerous there is.
"It is you against the world. It is you against whoever jumps in your car. So it's very easy to pull out a gun, shoot someone behind the head, dump his body, take his car and drive away. We do know that his wallet was recovered five blocks away with nothing in it but his ID," Mateo said.
No arrests have been made. Mateo said he has urged DA Eric Gonzalez to find and prosecute Saleemi's killer.
"This city is very unsafe and the mayor must step it up and stop releasing criminals from our jails," Mateo said.
The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is offering a $5,000 reward for information.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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