Faisil McCants, Armed Robbery & Machine Gun Use, New York 2025
Faisil McCants, a New York City resident, has been charged with armed robbery and the use of a machine gun after a deadly shooting in East Harlem left a 69-year-old woman dead.
On August 27, 2025, McCants, 18, allegedly robbed a drug dealer near East 109th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. During the robbery, McCants and his co-conspirators got into a physical altercation with the victim before grabbing backpacks containing marijuana and fleeing the scene.
As McCants fled, he pulled out a black machine gun and fired 15 shots in rapid succession, striking and killing a 69-year-old woman who was standing with a walker on the sidewalk. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.
McCants is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of the 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 sentences must be served consecutively.
The defendant was arrested and is expected to be presented before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on the next available date.
The NYPD, HSI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York have worked collaboratively to bring McCants to justice. The NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch stated, 'Removing illegal firearms from our streets remains at the forefront of the NYPD's public safety mission, and we will continue to ensure that those who carry them are held accountable.'
The case highlights the devastating effects of gun violence in New York City and the need for continued efforts to combat it.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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