'Law & Order: Organized Crime' crew member shot and killed while working near set in New York City

• A 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' crew member was shot and killed near set Tuesday morning.
• NYPD said a man approached the victim, who was sitting in his car, and shot him in the head multiple times.

A crew member on "Law & Order: Organized Crime" was shot and killed Tuesday morning while working near the show's set, the New York Police Department told Insider.

The NYPD said the 31-year-old man — identified as Johnny Pizarro — was sitting inside a car in Brooklyn at 5:15 a.m. local time when another man approached the car and shot into the vehicle. The victim was shot in the head multiple times, taken to Woodhull Hospital, and was pronounced dead on arrival.

The man was a contractor working for NBC, police said. He was hired to help clear cars in the area for filming and to facilitate parking near the set, according to police.

NBC said in a statement that the network is "terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result."

"We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate," the statement continued. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time."

NYPD said they do not have a suspect or motive in the fatal shooting and no arrests have been made.

While murder and shooting rates in NYC are lower this year than last, they remain high above pre-pandemic crime rates.

According to NYPD statistics, there have been 854 victims of shootings in NYC just this year and 222 murders in the same time period.

In 2019, there were 452 victims of shootings in the city in 2019, and 163 murders, according to NYPD crime statistics.

"Law & Order: Organized Crime" is a spinoff of the popular "Law & Order" franchise, and stars Christopher Meloni.

Meloni's character Stabler is a fan favorite, having previously appeared as Detective Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) trusted partner on the first 12 seasons of "SVU." The two characters shared a certain chemistry throughout the seasons (with many fans rooting for a romance between them), but Stabler ultimately remained faithful to his wife, Kathy.

Meloni left "SVU" after the 12th season, but guest-starred in an episode in season 22, where Stabler's wife Kathy is killed by a car bomb. He's currently reprising his role as Stabler on the new spinoff show.