A 20-year-old Astoria man pleaded guilty this week to attempted murder charges for shooting two men on a summer night in 2014, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Angel Zabala of Astoria Boulevard told prosecutors that he was trying to kill the two strangers when he fired shots at them at the intersection of Main Avenue and Welling Court.
Between 12:40 a.m. and 3:35 a.m. on July 11, authorities said, Zabala and another man walked up to Jovany Heredia, 22, and Edwin Cruz, 21, and said, “What’s crackin’? It’s always crackin’ here. Who you reppin’?” the criminal complaint said.
According to the criminal complaint, Zabala and his accomplice started beating the two victims when Zabala pulled out a 9 mm gun. He shot Heredia three times and Cruz once. Both men were treated at local hospitals and recovered from the gunshots.
“The defendant admitted to approaching two men, arguing and shooting them. Both victims were injured, but fortunately survived,” Brown said. “This kind of random, senseless violence has no place in a civilized society. The defendant will be sentenced next month to a lengthy term in prison.”
Zabala pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree attempted murder and is expected to be sentenced to serve 20 years in prison on Feb. 24.
