Brooklyn man gets 35 years to life for Flatlands gang shootout that claimed one life

June 28, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

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A 30-year-old man who gunned down his 21-year-old victim while he sat in the car with his girlfriend will spend the next 35 years of his life behind bars after he was sentenced on Tuesday to 35 years to life in prison for the ruthless shooting.

In the deadly altercation, Tristan Murray and his supposed accomplice shot into a parked car in Flatlands, where the victim was seated with his girlfriend. The victim managed to save the life of his girlfriend when he push her out of the car before succumbing to his injuries, saving her from the hail of bullets.

“This was an absolutely senseless act of violence perpetrated on two unarmed victims at close range,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “The plague of gang violence steals far too many young lives in Brooklyn, and fighting it remains my highest priority. I hope the sentence handed down today underscores the severity of the consequences for those who terrorize our communities.”

Murray, who hails from Brooklyn, was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Heidi Cesare. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on May 19, after a jury trial.

The case against Murray’s purported accomplice, Tarell Herbert, 29, also a Brooklyn resident, is awaiting trial. He is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and related offenses.

According to the evidence presented, on the evening of September 2, 2016, Anthony Francis, 21, was ending a visit with his girlfriend in Flatlands, Brooklyn, when they both got into his BMW, parked on the street. Around 7:26 p.m., Murray and his alleged accomplice drove up to the BMW and initiated a barrage of bullets from their vehicle’s passenger side.

During the trial, it was revealed that Murray and his supposed accomplice were members of the Folk Nation gang based in Flatbush, who were out hunting rival gang members at the time of the incident. They identified the victim as a member of the rival Woo gang from Canarsie, prompting them to open fire.

Francis, hit in the chest, managed to push his girlfriend out of the car before collapsing. Multiple .40 caliber and .45 caliber shell casings littered the crime scene, and Francis’ BMW was peppered with bullets of the same calibers.

Murray was arrested the day after the shooting in possession of a .45 caliber gun. Over the course of a detailed investigation conducted by the Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the firearm was linked to the fatal shooting.