Law & Order crew member shot dead by unknown assailant on set in Brooklyn

A crew member of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” was shot and killed at the show’s TV set in Brooklyn on Tuesday while filming for the show’s third season.

Johnny Pizarro, 31, had just started his shift and was saving a parking space in the driver seat of a red Honda Civic on North Henry Street near Norman Avenue. At around 5:15 a.m. a man suddenly opened the driver’s door and shot him, officials said.

Pizarro was shot multiple times in the face and neck. He was taken to Woodhill Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

The suspect, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and dark pants, fled on foot and is still on the run, authorities said.

“It was crazy,’’ said a colleague who was also on set.

“I didn’t hear an argument or nothing. It was quiet, early morning,’’ said the colleague, who asked not to be named. “It was just a pop, and the [gunman] ran up towards Nassau [Avenue]. I only heard one bang, but I don’t know how many shots.”

“I don’t even know who would do this or why.’’

Janus Czuj, a local resident said he thought the scene was something staged for the TV show.

“This morning I woke up and saw the police officers,” Czuj said. “I thought it was a fake crime scene.”

“I didn’t think it was a real tragedy. … I tried to walk dogs here and saw the tape and thought, ‘Oh, it’s a movie.’ But this was a real shooting.”

The motive for the killing remains unclear. Police are still investigating the incident. 

Several residents and colleagues said maybe the tragedy began with a parking dispute. Part of Pizarro’s job was to put up film-shooting notices, place cones as needed, and clear the parking for the trucks with equipment to park. 

“Sometimes we get hassled about parking, but we work with a lot of people in the communities,” said a coworker. “They talk with us, we talk with them. We see what time you want to leave, and depending on what time our trucks come, we let them park. There’s never too much hassle with the parking.” 

Other said his death might have had to do with recent complaints about movie shootings on the street. A flyer taped to a lamp pole on the street was titled “Stop Film Shoots Around McGolrick Park.”

“The area around McGolrick Park has had a WEEKLY film shoot for MONTHS taking away DOZENS of blocks for PARKING and displacing THOUSANDS of Greenpoint residents while over 600 parking spots were recently REMOVED underneath the BQE for the construction of a bike lane that no one uses,” the flyer said.

“Law & Order: Organized Crime” is one of the three “Law and Order” shows currently airing on NBC. The show is usually filmed outdoors in New York City.

“We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result,” NCB and Universal Television said in a statement. “We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time.”