A woman who was shot dead along with her dog and another man in Upper Manhattan on Friday evening had also been the target of a terrifying home invasion.
Jackie Billini, 57, was identified by her family as working as an analyst for the state court system in the Bronx.
She was walking her dog with a male, who has yet to be identified, when the pair were shot in the head at 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue in Washington Heights.
The pit bull dog they had been walking with was also callously killed in the brutal murder which took place outside Highbridge Park at around 6.30pm.
Family revealed the 57-year-old was previously attacked in her apartment by a man wielding a hammer in April.
Jackie Billini, 57, was shot in the head along with a man and a dog in upper Manhattan on Friday evening
She was walking her dog with a male, who has yet to be identified, when the pair were shot in the head at 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue in Washington Heights.
Family revealed the 57-year-old was previously attacked in her apartment by a man wielding a hammer in April
During the home invasion in April, a man armed with a hammer tried to enter the house
An NYPD officer stands guard after Friday night’s murder in Washington Heights
Photos of the shooting on Friday showed a heavy police presence at the scene of the crime.
After the shooting, Bellini and the male shooting victim, who police have not yet confirmed was an acquaintance, were rushed to Harlem Hospital, where they were both pronounced dead.
The dog died at the scene and his lifeless body was left on the sidewalk, surrounded by at least eight shell casings, as police continued their investigation.
Police revealed that the gunman fled the scene on foot and police immediately began a search for the suspect. No arrests have been made at this time.
An eyewitness who was also walking nearby said the scene was gruesome.
“(There were) a lot of shots, and then people ran that way. It was a man and a woman who were shot,” 70-year-old local resident Nelson Abreu told the newspaper Daily news.
Even police officers on the scene were alarmed by the dog’s killing.
Terrifying footage shows the armed intruder wielding a hammer as he tries to break in
It took the effort of four people holding the door shut with all their might to prevent the intruder from entering
The shocking images were captured on a home surveillance camera in April this year
An eyewitness who was also walking nearby said the scene where Bellini was shot was gruesome
Crime scene tapes can be seen spanning the area where the double murder occurred
Bellini and the man were walking along 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue in Washington Heights
The dog they were walking with was also killed in the brutal murder that took place at 6:30 p.m
‘It was brutal. That was a message. Did he have to shoot the dog too?’ an officer asked. ‘Damn. It was a beautiful animal, they said.
The senseless killing happened just months after Billini’s family said she was attacked by an assailant with a hammer in April.
A video provided to Daily newscaptured the shocking moment Billini, one of her daughters and her daughter’s boyfriend were attacked.
Footage showed Billini and three others trying to forcefully close the door to her home as their home was invaded.
Detectives responded quickly to the scene after the shooting and tried to determine what happened
After the shooting on Friday evening, the pair were rushed to Harlem Hospital but could not be saved
The dog lay lifeless on the sidewalk, surrounded by evidence markers showing at least eight shell casings
Even police officers on the scene were alarmed by the dog’s killing
At one point the vicious attacker could be seen breaking the 57-year-old’s arm as he tried to enter through the door of her apartment.
He also tried to harm one of Billini’s daughters and her daughter’s boyfriend with the same hammer.
Court records detail how a Manhattan grand jury charged a 32-year-old man with burglary, assault with a weapon with intent to injure, assault and other charges in connection with the attack.