Honduran immigrant man, 25, who was shot dead on a Queens street while dressed in women's clothing was targeted in robbery, police reveal as 19-year-old suspect is arrested for murder

Edson Giron Figueroa, 19, was arrested Tuesday for the murder of Albert Carrasco Serrato, a 25-year-old immigrant from Honduras
Serrato was found shot dead wearing women's clothing in Queens on July 24
Cops released surveillance footage of a potential suspect later identified as Figueroa
Figueroa was arrested in his home and charged him with murder, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon
His arraignment is currently pending in Queens Criminal Court

Published: 20:13 BST, 10 August 2021 | Updated: 20:34 BST, 10 August 2021

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Honduran immigrant Albert Carrasco Serrato, 25, (pictured) was shot dead on a street in Queens in a mugging gone wrong

A Honduran man shot to death wearing women's clothing in Queens was the victim of a mugging gone wrong, police have revealed.

Edson Giron Figueroa, 19 was arrested Tuesday after he was identified as the alleged suspect in the shooting of Albert Carrasco Serrato, a 25-year-old immigrant from Honduras.

Serrato was found dead near 150th Street and 105th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens at around 2.45am on July 24 after police responded to an alert from the ShotSpotter system - an audio system that detects high-sensitivity microphones when shots are fired.

When NYPD officers arrived on scene, they discovered Serrato dressed in women's clothing, lying in the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to the face, back and arm.

Officers didn't realize Serrato was a man until paramedics rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cops released surveillance footage of a potential suspect, who was later identified as Figueroa and lives about 10 blocks from where Serrato was shot.

Figueroa was arrested in his home and charged him with murder, attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.

Serrato's killing marked the latest in a string of brazen attacks in the Big Apple - where shootings have spiked nearly 30 percent in 2021 compared to last year.

Edson Giron Figueroa, 19, was arrested Tuesday for Serrato's murder after he was identified in surveillance footage (pictured) released by police

Serrato (pictured), the oldest of eight children, was two nights into a new job with an event company in Jamaica the night he was killed

When officers questioned Figueroa, he admitted he was looking to rob Serrato when he shot him, sources said.

Serrato, the oldest of eight children, was two nights into a new job with an event company in Jamaica the night he was killed.

'He worked to pay the rent,' said sister Maria Carrasco Serrato, 12. 'He used to work in construction, building buildings.'

'He celebrated my birthday with me and he always passes the time with me. When I used to fail a test he always helped me out.'

Serrato's family is trying to make sense of his untimely passing, with his uncle, Pedro Carrasco Serrato, 42, referring to it as 'confusing.'

Officers didn't realize Serrato (pictured) was a man until paramedics rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead

'I just want to know what’s happened. If he had a dress on, why? Who was with him? Because somebody had to be with him. He’s not the kind of person to go alone. He’s really a scaredy-cat. He’d see a little mouse and he’d be on top of the roof.'

Albert’s brother, William Carrasco Serrato, echoed his uncle's sentiment.

'They’re showing us a different life,' said William, 20, of Albert's alleged cross-dressing.

'The way I know him is, he’s a really nice guy always trying to help everyone, making jokes, making us laugh. The way it happened is really difficult for us to understand. Like it doesn’t match. A completely different guy.'

Figueroa's arraignment is currently pending in Queens Criminal Court.

The robbery gone wrong came as the Big Apple continues to battle a surge in violent crime which has left residents worried that the city is sliding back to the dark days of the '70s and '80s when it earned the nickname 'Fear City'.

Shootings so far this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July

NYPD's CompStat shows a slight increase in total crimes in July 2021 when compared to the same time period last year

Despite the growing list of violent incidents Mayor Bill de Blasio recently boasted that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven down murder and gun attacks.

In April, de Blasio unveiled the program aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives.

During a daily briefing last week, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the program has been effective and said in the month of July the NYPD saw 'extraordinary successes' to curve violent crime.

Listing statistics from July, de Blasio noted that murders decreased by 49.1 percent and shootings were down by 35 percent across the New York City.

The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021.