An upstate New York man was arraigned on murder and weapon possession charges in Queens Supreme Court Tuesday, Sept. 19, in connection with the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man in South Richmond Hill in a dispute on the first weekend of September.
Shawn Singh, 23, of Schenectady, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Count on a six-count indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and three counts of menacing in the second degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
According to the charges, video surveillance footage captured Singh and Treva Sookmangal arguing with each other at around 4 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 2, in the vicinity of 125-06 101st Ave., in South Richmond Hill. The verbal dispute continued for several minutes as Singh could be seen pointing a gun at multiple people who were present.
The altercation then escalated 17 minutes after it began, when Singh punched Sookmangal in the face, took another swing and, moments later, pointed the gun in the direction of Sookmangal, and shot him in the chest, the charges state.
The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, prosecutors said. Singh and a companion fled the scene, but he was arrested the following day at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the Bronx. Police recovered a shell casing along with one live round on the sidewalk near where the shooting happened.
“Altercations escalating to gun violence cannot become the norm. We will not allow it in this borough,” said Katz. “Those who use guns to solve disputes will be held accountable.”
Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant ordered Singh to return to court on Oct. 31. If convicted, Singh faces 25 years to life in prison.
