A reputed gang member from Jamaica has been sentenced shooting a man in the back last year along with committing five armed robberies.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said on Thursday that Shukri Johnson, 21, who is a purported member of the Bloods street gang, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree attempted murder and five counts of first-degree robbery. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision.
According to charges, on Dec. 30, 2016, Johnson shot Shariff Funny, 25, in the back and hip as he stood waiting for an elevator in a building on Foch Boulevard in Jamaica. Funny survived his injuries.
Charges also stated that Johnson and another individual committed armed robberies on Oct. 17 at an A&J Pharmacy, located at 131-08 Liberty Ave.; Nov. 15 at a Verizon Wireless store, located at 121-20 Liberty Ave.; Nov. 27 at Premier Repair cell phone shop, located at 194-06 Northern Blvd.; and Dec. 31 at a T Mobile store, located at 132-07 Liberty Ave., all in 2016; and a final robbery on Jan. 2, 2017, at a T Mobile store, located at 133-26 Springfield Blvd.
During the robberies, Johnson would wear a mask and held a gun and forced employees into a back room, making them lie face-down on the floor. Johnson took cash and phones from cell phone stores and cash and narcotics from a pharmacy.
This kind of violence and criminal activity will not be tolerated in Queens,” Brown said in an Oct. 12 statement. “The defendant, a young man who could have chosen a different path for his future, is now going to prison for a very long time. The sentence imposed by the Court yesterday will punish the defendant for his criminal activity as well as keep society safe.”
