LEOMINSTER — A suspect in the armed robbery of a Leominster business earlier this year is currently in custody in New York, where police say he shot an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in the face during a botched robbery attempt last Saturday.
According to the Leominster Police Department, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, of New York, was charged in connection with the February 3, 2025, robbery of Sam & Friends, a pawnshop/electronics store located at 710 North Main Street. Officers were dispatched to the scene at 3:27 p.m. that day, where they found the store owner bound by the hands and ankles with duct tape after he had been held at gunpoint. Surveillance footage captured two male suspects fleeing in a blue or gray early 2020s Honda CRV with stolen Pennsylvania license plates (JHL3804).
Leominster police initially released photos and descriptions of both suspects and asked the public for help identifying them. One suspect was described as a tall Hispanic male wearing a navy cap, a black GUESS jacket, orange and pink sneakers, and a blue surgical mask. The second was also described as a Hispanic male, shorter in stature, wearing a black hooded jacket, cargo pants, and black Nike sneakers.
After a joint investigation with the Massachusetts State Police, Leominster police secured a warrant on February 21 to charge Nunez with the following:
- Armed Robbery (Firearm)
- Larceny Over $1200
- Larceny From a Person
- Armed Kidnapping (Firearm)
- Intimidation of a Witness
- Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Firearm)
A breakthrough in the case came on July 20, 2025, when Nunez was taken into custody in New York after allegedly shooting a 42-year-old off-duty CBP officer during an attempted robbery in Upper Manhattan the day before.
According to The New York Times and statements by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the officer was sitting on rocks near the Hudson River with a friend around midnight last Saturday when two men on a scooter approached. One of them, believed to be Nunez, brandished a gun.
The officer, realizing he was being robbed, drew his service weapon. A gunfight ensued. The officer was shot in the face and arm; the assailant was also shot and limped away before fleeing on the scooter with his accomplice. Both the officer and suspect survived. Surveillance cameras captured the exchange.
Later that night, Nunez walked into a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg—injuries consistent with the suspect seen in the video, according to Commissioner Tisch. He underwent surgery at Lincoln Hospital and remained in custody there, until he was formally arrested in connection with the Manhattan shooting. (Police were still searching for the second suspect when Commissioner Tisch made these statements during her press conference Sunday afternoon).
Officials say Nunez entered the U.S. illegally in April 2023 through Arizona. Nunez has a lengthy criminal history, including two prior arrests for domestic violence in New York. A warrant had been issued after he failed to appear in one of those cases. In addition, Nunez is wanted in connection with a robbery in December and a stabbing in January, both in the Bronx, as well as the armed robbery in February in Leominster during which guns were stolen.
“We extend our sincere wishes for a full and swift recovery to the injured CBP Officer,” the Leominster Police Department said in a statement. “We also want to commend his bravery and courage under fire.”
Nunez remains in New York custody pending further legal proceedings. The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office will oversee prosecution for the charges filed in Massachusetts.
