A surveillance photo of Zachery Bryant released ahead of his arrest
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Friday that a man responsible for an August 2021 fatal shooting on the Upper East Side has been sentenced to 30 years-to-life in state prison.
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On August 23, 2021, Zachery Bryant, 40, a resident of Conyers, Georgia, entered NYC Auto Inc., an auto repair shop previously located at 324 East 95th Street (between First and Second avenues) at approximately 9:30 a.m. with his face and hands covered and shot two male employees. One of the victims, 33-year-old manager Mario Gonzalez Alcantara, died after getting shot multiple times in the torso. The other victim, a 43-year-old NYC Auto employee, was seriously injured after taking a bullet to the back; the retained bullet remains lodged near his spine.
Bryant fled the scene of the crime in a vehicle driving northbound on First Avenue. A few weeks after surveillance footage of Bryant was released, officers with the New York Police Department’s Warrants Squad arrested Bryant after spotting him driving the same getaway car. A search of the vehicle turned up two firearms, including the revolver Bryant used in the fatal shooting.
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“Zachery Bryant will serve a significant prison term for shooting two hardworking New Yorkers in a callous attack that tragically took Mario Gonzalez Alcantara ’s life,” District Attorney Bragg said in a press release. “To Mr. Gonzalez Alcantara ’s family and loved ones, he was a loving son, brother, cousin, friend and partner, and I send my deepest condolences to them as they continue to grieve their loss. I hope that the outcome of this case can provide another step towards healing for both families affected by this shooting.”
According to Dignity Memorial, Mario Gonzalez Alcantara was born September 2, 1987 and lived in the Bronx.
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The New York State Supreme Court convicted Bryant on September 27 on all counts he was charged with, including one count each of Second Degree Murder, Attempted Second Degree Murder and First Degree Assault, as well as two counts of Second Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon.
Just months after the horrific incident, Patch reported that NYC Auto Inc. permanently closed and was later demolished to make room for a new development after property firm Taconic Partners and other investors bought 324 East 95th Street and 309 East 95th Street to build a life-sciences lab.
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