A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for a shooting spree in which he directed fire upon his roommate and several New York City police officers, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced this week.
46-year-old Ridhwaan Abdur Rashid, a resident of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, was convicted of second-degree attempted murder following a guilty plea he made at Brooklyn Supreme Court.
According to District Attorney Gonzalez, the conviction stems from an incident that took place on March 7, 2021, at around 9:11 p.m.
During that evening, four NYPD officers reportedly responded to a 911 call that detailed a situation in which a man had been shot by an “emotionally disturbed individual” inside an apartment residence at 42 Hawthorne Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens
After entering the apartment building, the officers ascended the structure’’s stairwell before discovering Rashid, who had emerged from his home with a blanket draped over him.
According to evidence, the NYPD officers attempted to engage in a conversation with Rashid, before the Brooklyn resident pulled out an illegal handgun and fired multiple shots at the police squad — grazing one officer’s leg, while another made impact with a different officer’s bulletproof vest.
Following the shootout, Rashid returned to his place of residence and barricaded himself inside with his wounded roommate, identified as 47-year-old Damon Lindsay.
Lindsay — who had been shot in the leg — and his girlfriend hid in one of the bedrooms amidst the one-hour standoff, which was ultimately put to an end when the victim’s partner signaled for help through a window and tossed a set of keys to law enforcement officers below, who then gained access to the apartment and arrested Rashid, according to the investigation.
Following the incident, Lindsay was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he would be treated for his gunshot wounds. Additionally, the two police officers that were hit during the stairway shootout were also taken to the same hospital and had their injuries tended to.
“This was a terrifying act of gun violence that underscores the dangers our police partners face every day on the job,” said District Attorney Gonzalez. “We will never allow violence against law enforcement here in Brooklyn, and today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his deplorable actions.”
