Bed-Stuy man gets 16 years for shooting at police officers As he ran

April 7, 2023 Robert Abruzzese

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Brooklyn Eagle photo Rob Abruzzese

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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that a man from Bedford-Stuyvesant was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree attempted murder. The defendant had opened fire on four New York City Police Officers in 2018, firing six shots and wounding one detective in the leg.

Kelvin Stichel, 37, from Bedford-Stuyvesant, appeared before Supreme Court Justice Claudia Daniels-DePeyster when he was sentenced to 16 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision. Stichel pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder on January 26.

“The six shots this defendant fired at officers as he fled could have been fatal, highlighting the risks our police partners face daily,” District Attorney Gonzalez said. “We will never tolerate violence against law enforcement in Brooklyn, and today’s sentence holds this defendant accountable for his appalling crime.”

According to the District Attorney, on July 7, 2018, at approximately 6:40 a.m., Det. Miguel Soto, a member of the NYPD’s Warrant Squad in Brooklyn North, and three other officers were driving an unmarked car on Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant when they spotted the defendant walking on the sidewalk.

The evidence indicated that the officers recognized the defendant from an investigation card related to an alleged armed robbery. The defendant noticed the officers making a U-Turn and fled, turning onto Tompkins Avenue and then Decatur Street.

The officers pursued the defendant in their car and then on foot, identifying themselves and ordering him to show his hands. The defendant then produced a .45-caliber handgun and fired six shots at the officers, hitting Detective Soto in the right leg. Officers returned fire, striking the defendant once in the left arm.

The defendant was later apprehended at 39 Kingston Street. The .45-caliber handgun used in the shooting was found in a trashcan in front of a nearby building.

Detective Soto, a decorated seven-year veteran of the NYPD, was taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment and was later released. The defendant received treatment at a local hospital.