Felon Convicted of Possessing Firearm and Ammunition Used in a Shooting in Queens

 Victim was Shot in Stomach and Begged For His Life in Recorded 911 Call

Earlier today in the first federal criminal trial in the Eastern District of New York since the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Alonzo Shipp for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in connection with a 2018 shooting in South Jamaica, Queens.  The verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.  When sentenced, Shipp faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.

Seth D. DuCharme, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.

“A convicted felon armed with a gun is a fraught combination that oftentimes results in someone getting shot and that is precisely what happened in this case,” stated Acting United States Attorney DuCharme.  “Today’s verdict is yet another reminder as to why this Office remains focused on prosecuting violent armed offenders who seem to think that they can shoot victims on our streets with impunity.”

“ATF’s message to violent criminals has always been and remains clear to this day.  If you terrorize our communities, we will stop you, and you will serve time in federal prison. ATF is committed to working with our partners to ensure that all New Yorkers can safely walk their streets,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge DeVito.

The evidence at trial established that in the early morning hours of July 20, 2018, Shipp, also known as “Pump,” shot the victim in the abdomen.  The victim collapsed two blocks away and called 911.  Shipp followed the victim and stood over him, holding his gun as the victim begged for his life.  While on the line with the 911 operator, the victim spoke directly to Shipp, stating: ‘I don't want to die, Pump.  Please, I don't want to die, Pump.”  Shipp’s gun jammed, and he fled tossing the gun in a dumpster.  Later that morning, a civilian found the gun and contacted the NYPD.  Police officers recovered the gun, and NYPD ballistics examiners determined that a shell casing found where the victim was shot was consistent with being fired from the gun found in the dumpster.  A search of Shipp’s Facebook account and revealed a message in which he admitted to a friend that he was on the run because of the shooting at the location where the victim was found.  The victim survived the shooting.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Michael W. Gibaldi.

The Defendant:

ALONZO SHIPP
Age: 33
Richmond, VA.

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-029 (RPK)