Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Dixon was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned for murder and other crimes for fatally shooting his accomplice in a botched attempt to gun down a rival.

District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, this is yet another example of the brazen lawlessness inherent in illegal gun use. We need to do everything we can, on the streets and in the courts, to eradicate the plague of gun violence from society.”

Dixon, 32, of 141^st Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, was arraigned yesterday on an eight-count indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second and fourth degrees.  At the request of the district attorney’s office, Justice Kenneth Holder remanded Dixon and set his return court date for March 1. If convicted, Dixon faces up 25 years-to-life in prison.

According to the charges, at approximately 5:00 a.m. on June 19, Dixon and his associate, Raymond Francis, approached Kenardo Kelly and Dwayne Whyte as they sat in their vehicles on Cross Bay Boulevard near Pitkin Avenue in Ozone Park. Security camera video footage shows Dixon wearing a mask covering his lower face and carrying an assault rifle-type weapon, and his associate, Francis, carrying a handgun.

The two men approached Kelly’s vehicle from different angles and Dixon fired several shots at Kelly, striking him and his car. At that time, Whyte fired several shots from his vehicle at Dixon, who pivoted and returned fire. At least one of Dixon’s shots hit Francis, his accomplice.

Emergency responders found the 38-year-old Francis collapsed in the parking lot, laying on top of his pistol. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Kelly, 33, was taken to a different local hospital for treatment of gunshots to his face and upper back and a broken jaw. The 29-year-old Whyte was taken to a third hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds to his leg.

Dixon later sought treatment at a Nassau County hospital for multiple gunshots, including to the leg, groin, buttocks and knee. The nature of his wounds helped identify him as a suspect in the Ozone Park shooting. Security camera video footage shows Dixon drove his wife’s vehicle from their residence on the day of the incident. The vehicle was spotted driving away from the scene of the shooting.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Alex Kalogiros of the Queens Homicide Squad and multiple detectives from the 106th Precinct Detective Squad of the New York City Police Department.

Assistant District Attorney Konstantinos Litourgis, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.