NYC Parks employee charged with hate crime in shooting of homeless Venezuelan illegal immigrant after altercation

City Parks Department employee Elijah Mitchell, 23, is now facing hate crime charges after allegedly shooting and killing a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who was camping out in a Brooklyn green space.

Mitchell was indicted on Wednesday during a hearing related to the July 21 death of Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano, for which Mitchell was initially facing a second-degree murder charge, the New York Post reports.

Mitchell was cleaning the Steuben Playground near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Clinton Hill when he lost his temper over illegal immigrants from shelters setting up tents in the park, prosecutors said.

When he arrived at the scene on July 18, he began tearing down the tents and began screaming at the illegal immigrants, the Post noted. Rodriguez Marcano, 30, asked Mitchell to calm down until the pair both started arguing. Mitchell went to his car and police say he returned with a a gun inside his pants. His co-workers broke up the altercation.

But on July 21, the parks worker came back to the site around 10:45 pm, saw Marcano and allegedly fired several bullets in his direction, shooting him in the chest. Marcano died of a gunshot wound after being sent to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, according to police.

Mitchell has been indicted on charges of second-degree murder as a hate crime, second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing as a hate crime and menacing. On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty and remains incarcerated, with bail set at $350,000 cash or $2.5 million bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 23.

The Parks Department suspended Mitchell from his duties on July 30.

On the same night as the incident, there was another shooting at a nearby shelter. Police initially believed the two crimes were related, but later determined that the incidents were not connected.

NYC has become a sanctuary for illegal immigrants and is supplying free airline tickets to illegal immigrants to fly anywhere in the US. The city turned a high school over to illegal immigrants and has offered prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants as well. A hotel in the Marriott chain is being sued for violating its franchise agreement by serving only illegal immigrants.