District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Friday that Jamal Batts, 34, of Boerum Hill, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to shoot a man in the head at point-blank range following a dispute. The victim miraculously dodged the bullet and escaped to safety.
“It is shocking that this defendant tried to execute a stranger in broad daylight following a minor dispute,” Gonzalez said. “The victim miraculously managed to dodge a bullet. We cannot tolerate gun violence in Brooklyn, and today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions.”
Batts was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Susan Quirk after being convicted on May 4, 2023, of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree criminal use of a firearm and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the evidence, on Nov. 3, 2021, at approximately 12:10 p.m. in front of 222 Hoyt St., the victim, a 53-year-old man, got into a dispute with Batts, a stranger. The argument began when Batts’ dog defecated on the sidewalk where the victim was cleaning, and when the victim complained, Batts used a derogatory racial slur.
The evidence further showed that Batts threatened to kill the victim, pointed a gun at his head and fired a shot at point-blank range. The victim dodged the shot and struggled with Batts. Batts then racked the gun and chased the victim, pointing the gun at him. The victim managed to escape into a store. Batts then walked across Hoyt Street into the Gowanus Houses and entered 414 Baltic St.
Video surveillance from the store at 222 Hoyt St. and New York City Housing Authority videos at 414 Baltic St. and 215 Hoyt St. captured the entire incident and Batts’ path afterward. He was subsequently arrested.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Steven Bravo and Han Zhang of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, bureau chief.
