A St. Albans man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison after he shot and killed an off-duty corrections officer in South Richmond Hill in 2018, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Thursday.
Gifford Hunter, 31, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree in December 2019 for an incident in which he shot Jonathan Narain, 27, in a fit of road rage, the DA said. Hunter’s 23-year sentence is to be followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2018, Hunter and was riding on his motorcycle when he pulled up near Narain, who was driving his car, according to the DA. The two had been involved in an altercation at a food store earlier, Katz said. Hunter pulled out a gun and fired one shot into Narain’s red Honda Accord, which was stopped at a red light at the intersection of 103rd Avenue and 120th Street.
Narain was found slumped over his steering wheel alive, according to Katz. He later died in a nearby hospital as a result of the injuries sustained in the shooting.
“The defendant pleaded guilty to this senseless shooting that killed a dedicated corrections officer,” Katz said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of the victim.”
Hunter was arrested two days after the incident.
