Man Pleads Guilty To Discharging Machine Gun That Killed 69-Year-Old Bystander In East Harlem

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Ricky J. Patel, announced that FAISIL McCANTS pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to possessing and brandishing a machine gun in connection with an August 27, 2025, daytime armed robbery and shooting in which McCANTS fired 15 rounds on a public street in East Harlem, striking and killing a 69-year-old woman.  McCANTS is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.

“Faisil McCants fired 15 bullets in a matter of seconds in the middle of the day, killing a 69-year-old innocent woman who was doing nothing more than standing by her walker on an East Harlem street,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “This type of senseless violence cannot and will not be tolerated.  The people of this City expect and deserve to be able to walk our streets without fear.  Thanks to the swift and tireless work of our partners at HSI and the NYPD, McCants will now face justice for his August 2025 crime.  His plea today underscores our Office’s unwavering commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who use guns to destroy communities and lives.”    

“Nearly three months ago, Robin Wright’s life was cut short in what can only be described as a senseless, avoidable, and absolutely unacceptable tragedy,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.  “With today’s guilty plea, an admitted violent criminal will spend decades in prison with no choice but to relive the events—and the decisions—that landed him there, while an innocent woman’s grieving family prepares for their first holiday season without her.  Protecting New Yorkers is non-negotiable, and HSI New York, alongside our law enforcement partners, will use every tool at our disposal in doing just that.”

As alleged in public court filings, statements in public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case:

On or about August 27, 2025, shortly before 12:30 p.m., McCANTS and two co-conspirators (“CC-1” and “CC-2”) robbed a drug dealer (“Individual-1”) near East 109th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York.  During the robbery, McCANTS and his co-conspirators got into a physical altercation with Individual-1 before both McCANTS and CC-1 grabbed backpacks from Individual-1—which contained marijuana—and then fled north on Madison Avenue, turning onto East 110th Street.

McCANTS pulled a black firearm (equipped with a machine-gun conversion device) out of his right sweatshirt pocket and fired 15 shots in quick succession in the general direction of Individual-1.  A photograph of McCants firing is below:

A 69-year-old woman (the “Victim”) standing with a walker on the northwest corner of East 110th Street and Madison Avenue—in the direction that McCANTS shot the firearm—was struck by gunfire.  The Victim was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

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McCANTS, 18, of New York, New York, pled guilty to one count of use, carrying, and possession of a machine gun, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department.  He also thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the New York State Board of Parole, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent Organizations & Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra S. Messiter, Kathryn Wheelock, and Brandon D. Harper are in charge of the prosecution.