A Brooklyn man was convicted of fatally shooting a man during a dispute in Astoria back in 2016, prosecutors announced Friday.
Following a five-week trial, Santiago Salcedo, 27, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree attempted assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
“This was a ridiculous act of violence that could have been avoided,” said Acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “An early morning derogatory remark started a chain of events that resulted in one man losing his life and now this defendant could spend the next couple of decades locked behind bars over foolish words. Getting a gun is never the right answer to settle a dispute.”
According to trial testimony, at around 4 a.m. on July 17, 2016, after patronizing several bars on Steinway Street, Salcedo and 3 friends – two women and a male – were walking near 28th Avenue when they encountered 23-year-old who was with another man. Moments later, Brown and his friend made derogatory remarks about the two women with Salcedo, and one of the women asked Salcedo, “Are you just going to let them disrespect us like that?”
Salcedo and his friend went to a car and grabbed something from the trunk before walking back to confront Brown and his friend. An argument ensued, and Brown ran to his car — which was a bout a half black away — and drove back towards Salcedo. Brown, who was unarmed, got out of his car and ran towards Salcedo, and Salcedo grabbed a gun from his friend and fired five times at Brown and his friend, who was also unarmed.
Brown was struck once in the neck and ultimately died of his injuries at a local hospital two days later. Brown’s friend was not hit by any bullets.
Salcedo is due to return to court for sentencing on Jan. 23, 2020, where he faces up to 25 years in prison.
