A Rockaway Beach man faces a potential life sentence after a Queens grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting at NYPD officers in Edgemere following a night of heavy drinking.
Joel Kelly, 60, of Beach 92nd St., was arraigned Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court on a 10-count indictment for firing at two officers from the 101st Precinct who responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at the Beach 41st Houses in Far Rockaway.
A 9 mm ghost gun pistol was recovered at the scene after Kelly was taken into custody.
According to the charges, on July 27, at around 12:07 a.m., Kelly visited his sister’s apartment on Beach 40th Street at the Beach 41st Street Houses. Shortly thereafter, she ordered him to leave. At approximately 12:07 a.m., Kelly was seen outside his sister’s apartment holding what appeared to be a firearm. He turned around and fired one shot, continued to walk, and turned around again to fire a second shot.
An NYPD sergeant and police officer from the 101st Precinct responded to the area after a report was made of shots fired at the complex. Kelly was spotted walking north on Beach 51st Street. The officers pursued Kelly, who turned around in front of 444 Beach 54th St. and raised his arm while holding the handgun and fired in the direction of the cops. They were not hit. Kelly then fled and threw the ghost gun to the ground, which caused the magazine to dislodge from the weapon. He was then apprehended by other responding officers from the 101st Precinct. The gun was recovered at the scene. Two 9 mm spent shell casings, one live round and three bullet fragments were also recovered in the hallway outside of Kelly’s sister’s apartment.
Kelly was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition due to his extreme intoxication, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation, and he was later booked at the 101st Precinct. The two cops who first encountered Kelly were transported to the hospital for treatment for tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears as a result of the shooting.
“My office will aggressively prosecute attempts on the lives of police officers who are sworn to serve and protect our city,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “After presenting the facts of this case, we secured a grand jury indictment on attempted murder charges against this defendant for allegedly firing at two officers who were simply doing their job when they responded to a 911 call of shots fired.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino remanded Kelly into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on Sept. 30.
“My office will continue to make every effort to take illegal ghost guns, and those who use them, off our streets,” Katz said.
If convicted on the top count, Kelly faces a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years to life in prison.
