By Philip Newman
A 22-year-old purported member of the Los Travaiesos street gang has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the December 2015 shooting of a reputed rival gang member in a Corona club, the Queens DA said.
“The defendant has admitted to shooting an individual inside a crowded club,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “The victim was wounded in the gunplay but fortunately survived. This kind of random, senseless violence has no place in a civilized society.”
The shooter is Jose Sanchez-Ortiz, 22, of Brooklyn.
“The defendant will be sentenced next month to a lengthy term in prison,” Brown said.
Sanchez-Ortiz has been held in lieu of $500,000 bail since his March 2016 arraignment.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Melendez said she would sentence Sanchez-Ortiz Sept. 20 to nine years in prison to be followed by five years post-release supervision.
The gunfire in the Passions Club on 103rd Street in Corona wounded Jose Apolinar, a reputed member of the Niños Malos street gang. He was wounded in the left arm, which required surgery to repair a severed artery.
