25 years for fatal shooting outside Richmond Hill bar

The Ozone Park man who fatally shot a 19-year-old nearly three years ago was sentenced on Tuesday, January 8 to 25 years to life in prison.

Miguel Viruet, 37, was convicted on second-degree charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon last month for the May, 5 2010 shooting of Christian O’Hara outside Scooby’s Bar on Atlantic Avenue in Richmond Hill.

“Today’s sentence is a measure of justice for an innocent young man whose life was tragically cut short,” said District Attorney Richard Brown in a statement. “It also underscores our need to be vigilant in keeping illegal guns off of the streets of our county and out of the hands of those intent on violently attacking others. Violence such as this will not be tolerated on the streets of Queens County.”

In his testimony, Viruet said he received a call just before 4 a.m. on May 5 from his brother who was outside the bar and said he was punched in the face. Viruet said he drove to the bar with two others and spoke to the bouncer, asking who punched his brother. The bouncer told Viruet that his brother was drunk, had been punched outside the bar and not allowed back in.

After driving away, Viruet walked back to the bar later and, from across the street, fired about nine shots at a crowd of people standing outside of the establishment. O’Hara was fatally hit in the lower torso.

RECOMMENDED STORIES