Monday, August 8, 2005

D.A. BROWN: QUEENS TEENAGER CHARGED IN DOUBLE SHOOTING
Fatally Wounds Queens Youth and Seriously Wounds Another; Faces Life in Prison

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Queens teenager has been charged with murder and attempted murder in a double shooting late Saturday night in South Ozone Park. The shooting resulted in the death of a 16-year-old male and the serious wounding of a 14-year-old male.

District Attorney Brown said, “According to the charges, the defendant -- a 17-year-old male -- intentionally and with depraved indifference to human life caused the death of a 16-year-old male and intentionally shot and seriously injured a 14-year-old male using an illegal handgun outside a South Ozone Park residence. The crime is a shocking example of mindless gun-related violence that takes innocent lives and recklessly endangers public safety.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Vijai Dube, 17, of 116-10 Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, a tenth grade high school student, who has been charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second and Third Degree and Assault in the Second Degree. The defendant faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said that it is alleged in a criminal complaint filed by his office that, on Saturday, August 6, 2005, at 9:10 p.m. outside a private home at 117-07 109 Avenue in South Ozone Park, Queens, Dube fired a .32 caliber handgun striking Harrichad Singh, 16, twice – once in the head and once in the wrist – fatally wounding him. The District Attorney said that Dube is further alleged to have shot Shastra Sagar, 14, one time in the chest with the same handgun, seriously wounding him.

District Attorney Brown said that Dube, who was apprehended yesterday morning by detectives assigned to the New York City Police Department’s 106th Precinct Detective Squad, was arraigned earlier today before Queens Criminal Court Judge Deborah Stevens Modica, who remanded the defendant without bail and set a return date of August 22, 2005.

The investigation was conducted by Detectives Jeffrey Gordon and Edward Balfe of the NYPD’s 106th Precinct Detective Squad, and Detectives Matthew Bonner and PJ Curran of the NYPD’s 105 Precinct Detective Squad, under the supervision of Lieutenant Edward Keogh.

Assistant District Attorney David J. Jeffries of the District Attorney’s Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Peter T. Reese, Bureau Chief, and Peter J. McCormack III, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.