Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Devin Spraggins was arraigned today in Queens Criminal Court on two counts of attempted murder in the first degree in connection to a confrontation with NYPD officers on Wednesday during which rookie Officer Brett Boller was shot.

District Attorney Katz said: “We will not allow our great city to descend into a state of chaos where police officers are fired upon without consequence. The rule of law and the officers who enforce it must be respected. My partners in law enforcement and I will make sure of it. I applaud the NYPD and federal investigators for their outstanding work in quickly apprehending the suspect.”

Spraggins, 22, of Jamaica, was arraigned on a complaint charging him with two counts of attempted murder in the first degree; two counts of attempted murder in the second degree; two counts of assault in the first degree; aggravated assault of a police officer; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; menacing a police officer; and obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree.

If convicted, Spraggins faces 40 years to life in prison for each of the attempted murder charges. Judge Jeffrey Gershuny remanded Spraggins and ordered him to return to court on April 10.

According to the charges, on April 5 at approximately 3:20 p.m., Spraggins got into a fight with another passenger on an MTA bus traveling on Jamaica Avenue near 160th Street. The bus driver flagged down NYPD Officer Boller and his partner, Officer Anthony Rock, for assistance.

• The officers tried to talk to Spraggins at the front door of the bus, but he pushed Officer Rock and ran off. Officers Boller and Rock chased Spraggins, catching up to him on 161st Street.

• Spraggins took a gun from his waistband and shot Officer Boller. After Officer Boller fell to the ground, Spraggins continued to point the gun at the officer and took a shooter’s stance and pointed the weapon in the direction of Officer Rock.

• As Officer Rock approached the defendant, he ran into a parking garage. Video surveillance showed him removing his black jacket and sweatshirt and leaving in a white T-shirt.

• Police found a shell casing near the shooting scene and a magazine loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition at the corner of Jamaica Avenue and 161st Street where Spraggins was running before the shooting.

Security camera video footage showed Spraggins at 161st Street and Hillside Avenue getting into a black Nissan, identified as a Lyft for-hire vehicle, that took him to a residence on 215th Street.

The District Attorney’s office authorized a search warrant for the property yesterday and a search was conducted at approximately 7:00 p.m. Information obtained at the home led police to a Bronx address, where Spraggins was arrested at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Officer Boller, 22, is recovering from his gunshot injuries at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and is expected to need at least one other operation. Officer Rock, also a 22-year-old rookie on the force, was not injured during the incident.

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

Assistant District Attorney Kanella Georgopoulos and Assistant District Attorney Eric Weinstein, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Senior Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.