UPDATE: Westbury Man Arraigned in Fatal Shooting of Gas Station Attendant

A 23-year-old Westbury man was arrested on Wednesday and charged with fatally shooting a Jericho gas station attendant during attemped robbery in January, police said.

Joshua N. Golson-Orelus, 23, arrested in upstate Utica at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said. He is charged with first degree murder, second degree robbery, first degree attempted robbery and two counts of second degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Police say Golson-Orelus shot 56-year-old Hany Awad, of Levittown, around 9:10 p.m. on January 28 at the BP gas station located at 39 Jericho Turnpike. A customer found Awad’s body on the flood behind the counter. Awad suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Golson-Orelus, of 162 Pearl Street in Westbury, is also charged with robbing a Citgo station on Union Avenue Westbury this past Sunday.

Nassau police said in February that they believed the person who killed Awad was also behind a string of robberies at Nassau gas stations and convenience stores over a two-month period in the winter, but police did not immediately indicate Thursday whether Golson-Orelus will faces charges for any other crimes.

Golson-Orelus was arraigned on Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead. He was ordered held without bail by Nassau County District Court Judge Paul Meli.

Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas released a statement on the case Thursday afternoon.

“This arrest has taken a menace to public safety off of the streets and we will prosecute this case aggressively to ensure that he’ll never threaten our communities again,” Singas said. “I commend our partners in this investigation – the Nassau County Police Department, the Utica Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service – for their excellent police work. This is an ongoing investigation and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep Long Islanders safe.”