Man Indicted for Attempted Murder of Cop in Jamaica

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

 

A man has been indicted for the attempted murder of a police officer in a shooting on Jamaica Avenue on April 5.

Devin Spraggins, 22 of Jamaica, allegedly shot rookie officer Brett Boller as he fled him and his partner, officer Anthony Rock. Both officers are 22 years old.

He is facing two counts of attempted murder in the first degree, among other charges, the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced on May 3. He faces up to 40 years to life in prison for each charge of attempted murder if convicted.

The charges claim that prior to the shooting, Spraggins punched a fellow passenger on a bus driving down Jamaica Avenue near 160th St. at around 3:20 p.m. on April 5. The officers were flagged down by the bus driver for assistance, and as they tried to speak to Spraggins, he pushed Rock and fled. In the chase that followed, Spraggins allegedly turned back, firing at both officers and hitting Boller in the leg.

After shooting Boller, Spraggins ran into a parking garage, and was caught on video surveillance removing his black jacket and sweatshirt, fleeing in a white T-shirt. Security camera footage caught Spraggins entered a black Nissan later identified as a Lyft vehicle, at 161st and Hillside Avenue.

He was taken to his a residence on 215st Street in Jamaica, where a search warrant the next day. The discovery of evidence led law enforcement to Spraggins’ Bronx home, and he was arrested at that location.

Spraggins was taken to Jamaica Hospital following the shooting, where he underwent surgery.

“The brazen shooting of a police officer in broad daylight will not go unanswered,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement. I want to thank the staff from my office that assisted in the investigation with the NYPD and federal law enforcement to quickly apprehend the defendant. We will not let up in our efforts to get guns off the street and keep our officers and communities safe.”

Alongside the two charges of first degree attempted murder, Spraggins also faces two counts of attempted murder in the second degree; two counts of assault in the first degree; assault of a police officer; attempted assault in the first degree; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; menacing a police officer; two counts of tampering with physical evidence; obstructing governmental administration in the second degree; and assault in the third degree.”

This investigation was conducted by the NYPD and the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

Cop Shot on Jamaica Ave, Search Underway for Perp

 

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A 22-year-old rookie cop was shot in the right hip near 161st St. along Jamaica Avenue Wednesday.

Police are asking for the public’s help in finding the perpetrator, who remains on the loose. There is a $10,000 reward for any information. The individual has a tattoo of the name “Jocelyn” on his left hand, police say.

A press conference was held at Jamaica Hospital — where the officer was in the operating room at around 6 p.m. according to doctors —  later on Wednesday to update the public on the incident. A surveillance photo of a suspect accused of shooting an NYPD officer.

At approximately 3:20 p.m., an MTA bus driver traveling eastbound on Jamaica Avenue called for two police officers assigned to the 103rd Precinct field training unit, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig shared at the press conference.

“He was where our communities tells us they want their officers to be, standing a foot post,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell.

The bus driver told the officers that a dispute had emerged between two men over a seat. When they approached the bus, a man exited through the front door and a “slight struggle ensued,” said Essig.

The man, who was wearing a black bubble jacket, black mask and orange sweatshirt pushed the officers and attempted to flee northbound on 161st Street, according to Essig.

One officer managed to catch up to the man, who fired one shot into his right hip  after a brief struggle.

The other police officer returned fire two times. Recovered shell casings from the crime scene reinforce this information. It is undetermined whether the perpetrator was struck.

A surveillance photo of a suspect accused of shooting an NYPD officer. The shell casing from the perpetrators’ weapon was recovered as well. As of 7:30 p.m., the caliber of the gun has yet to be determined.

The perpetrator then fled to a parking garage, where NYPD found the mask, jacket and orange sweatshirt. He was caught on video surveillance leaving the parking garage in a white t-shirt.

Patrick Lynch, head of the NYPD’s Police Benevolent Association union, expressed that he was concerned for both the environment that police officers work in and the environment that the community has to live in.

“While [the perpetrator] was running from police officers and shooting at police officers, there were children along that shopping corridor,” Lynch said. “There were people that were just going about their life… They had no regard for those people. ”

He then applauded those members of the community, who stopped and helped the police officer.

“When you can display a weapon over a dispute on the bus, that says a lot,” said Mayor Eric Adams at the press conference.

Today marked the cop’s third month as a member of the 103rd Precinct. He was appointed to the police department in July 2022, and to the 103rd Precinct in January. The injured officer was not identified at the press conference.

The partner of the shot officer has been with the NYPD for less than a year. His lack of hesitancy in helping his fellow officer was thanked by Sewell.

The officer’s father is a NYPD detective in Brooklyn.

“New Yorkers — you are our force multiplier. We are going to need your assistance in identifying and apprehending this offender,” Sewell said.

Anyone with any information in regard to this incident, contact 800-COPSHOT or @NYPDTips on Twitter.

Queens man convicted over death of NYPD Detective

Sentenced to 30 years to life in jail for 2019 botched robbery

New York City Police Department Detective Brian Simonsen’s killer was sentenced to 30 years to life on Thursday, July 7, three years after a shootout took place during a robbery at a T-Mobile phone store in Richmond Hill that took his life.

According to court records, the incident occured on Feb. 12, 2019, when two men entered the store on 120th Street brandishing a pistol. Police officers arrived on the scene after the two men ordered the two employees inside the establishment to surrender cash and merchandise from the back room of the shop.

One of the suspects was still inside when they arrived and pointed his gun, which appeared to be real, at the officers who discharged their weapons in response. Simonsen, 42, was fatally shot in the chest, while a second officer, Sgt. Matthew Gorman was seriously injured with a bullet wound to his leg.

Three years after the incident, Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder found the suspect Jagger Freeman, 28, of Jamaica, guilty for second degree murder, multiple counts of robbery, grand larceny, and assault.

“The jury found the defendant guilty of murder and he will now serve a lengthytime in prison as punishment for his criminal actions,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a press release on July 7. “We continue to express our condolences to Detective Simonsen’s family and fellow service members.”

The sentencing, which includes the conviction of a previous robbery Freeman participated in at a separate cell phone store, comes after the conviction of Freeman’s co-defendant Christopher Ransom, 30, in October 2021. He is currently serving 33 years in prison, to be followed by five years’ post release supervision.

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