A South Ozone Park man was indicted by a Queens grand jury in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old celebrating his 24th birthday in 2022.
Curtis Benjamin, 27, of 113th Street, was arraigned Thursday in Queens Supreme Court on a 14-count indictment charging him with murder, attempted murder and other related crimes for gunning down Justin Baerga and wounding three other partygoers during the attack.
According to the charges, on the night of July 2, 2022, Benjamin arrived in a black SUV near D-Touch Collision, an auto repair shop located at 129-09 89th Ave. in Richmond Hill, where Baerga was celebrating his birthday. Benjamin got out of the passenger seat of the SUV, walked down the street to the auto repair shop and slipped under a metal security gate that was half open at the entrance. He proceeded to pull out a gun and fired approximately a dozen shots into the garage.
Baerga was struck in the head and legs and was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Three other people were struck by bullets but survived.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the right leg and taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
A 17-year-old woman was grazed in the torso and an 18-year-old woman was grazed in the head. Both refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
“A night of celebration turned into one of violence when a young man lost his life in a cold-blooded shooting that also wounded three others,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
In addition to the murder and attempted murder charges, Benjamin was also hit with multiple assault charges, weapons possession charges and two counts of reckless endangerment in the fatal shooting. If convicted, Benjamin faces in excess of 25 years to life in prison.
“We will not let senseless gun violence shake our resolve to get illegal firearms and those who use them off our streets,” Katz said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder remanded Benjamin into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on September 19.
