South Jamaica resident Jahsheen Osbourne, 21, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, May 4, to attempted murder in connection with the unprovoked shooting of a UPS delivery driver in Woodside back in January 2020, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
According to the DA’s office, the 15-year-veteran UPS worker was attempting to parallel park the vehicle as Osbourne waited while in the passenger seat of a stolen Mercedes. Enraged by the wait, Osbourne lured the victim out of the truck and then shot him once in the stomach.
Osbourne, of 148th Street in South Jamaica, pleaded guilty during jury selection in advance of his trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis. Osbourne admitted to attempted murder, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the charges in the indictment related to the Jan. 14, 2020, shooting, the victim was in the process of dropping off packages around 3:30 p.m. The worker was attempting to reverse and park the UPS truck when a driver in a white Mercedes began honking the car horn objecting to the truck, preventing traffic from going forward. Osbourne, who was a passenger in the Mercedes, began to yell at the delivery worker and a verbal dispute ensued. As the driver of the Mercedes maneuvered to pass the UPS truck, Osbourne pulled out a black firearm and shot the victim in the stomach.
The victim began to bleed from the gunshot wound and lost consciousness. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery to repair extensive internal damage.
After a thorough investigation, Osbourne, in a separate indictment, was charged with grand larceny for stealing the Mercedes Benz E-Class sedan just hours before the shooting. Wednesday’s plea agreement is in satisfaction of both indictments, according to the DA’s office.
“The prevalence of using illegal guns to resolve disputes has led to myriad senseless shootings, including this one that could have easily taken the life of the victim,” Katz said. “The driver was merely doing his job when he was severely injured because of the defendant’s impatience. This defendant now faces a lengthy prison term when the court sentences him in the coming weeks for his actions.”
Justice Margulis, who set sentencing for May 19, indicated that he will sentence Osbourne to a determinate term of 17 years in prison, to be followed by five years post-release supervision.
