Man sentenced to 15 years for back-to-back shootings in Tompkins Square Park, DA says

A man is expected to spend 15 years in prison for committing two back-to-back shootings in Tompkins Square Park last year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Tuesday.

The sentencing of Waldemar Alverio, 38, comes roughly one year after the incidents, which took place just five days apart in the East Village park.

On March 16, 2024, after being chased and attacked by two men, Alverio pulled a firearm from his bag and fired multiple shots as they ran off, according to prosecutors. He struck one of the men in the buttocks, and a bystander — a 53-year-old tourist — who required surgery to replace her fractured hip, officials said.

Five days later, Alverio returned to the park and fired again at a group of people, authorities said. No one was hit, but two bullets smashed through the windows of nearby apartment buildings, according to officials.

He was arrested on March 26 on the Lower East Side after police recognized him from a wanted flyer, officials said.

Alverio pleaded guilty in January to three counts of attempted murder.

“Waldemar Alverio is facing accountability for a pair of shootings in Tompkins Square Park that injured two and threatened the safety of many other bystanders,” Bragg said in a statement. “Parks must be safe havens for Manhattanites to gather and spend time with their friends and family, and nobody should have to worry they will be struck by a bullet in the middle of the day.”

Alverio will also face five years of post-release supervision.

Attorney information for Alverio was not immediately available.