A Bronx man was indicted by a Queens grand jury on murder charges in the shooting death of a man in Long Island City in May.
Darrius Saunders, 28, was arraigned in Supreme Court Wednesday, July 7, for murder and other charges in the shooting death of 33-year-old Kayron Wilson as he sat in a car near the Queensbridge Houses, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Saunders, of Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on a five-count indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degree, and menacing in the second degree.
According to the charges, at just after midnight on May 10, Saunders was seen on video surveillance with another suspect approaching Wilson as he sat in the front seat of a parked vehicle at 12th Street and 40th Avenue in Long Island City. The two allegedly began shooting at Wilson striking him three times in the chest. EMS transported Wilson to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he was pronounced dead.
Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, Saunders was arrested on Tuesday, June 1, within the confines of the 114th Precinct. Police are still looking for the second shooter.
“As alleged, this defendant showed callous disregard for human life by walking up to a vehicle with a gun in his hand and murdering the victim,” Katz said. “We will not allow the streets of our borough to be used as shooting galleries. The defendant now faces serious charges for his alleged actions and my office continues to work to get illegal weapons off our streets.”
Justice Holder set a return date for Sept. 9. If convicted, Saunders faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
