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Far Rockaway man arraigned in killing of rival dollar van driver: DA

shooting arrest
Photo courtesy of NYPD

A Far Rockaway man is facing a possible life sentence after gunning down a rival dollar van driver in broad daylight and tampering with evidence earlier this week, the district attorney’s office said.

Fabian Sullivan, 38, was arraigned Thursday night on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence. He was ordered held without bail. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

Sullivan, an unlicensed livery driver, got into an argument with the victim, 38-year-old Leon Brown on Tuesday morning, according to prosecutors. He then allegedly used his vehicle to cut off Brown’s Ford Ecoline van near the intersection of Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 81st Street before getting out of his vehicle and firing a single shot.

Brown, a Far Rockaway resident, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and his van rolled into a parked car. He was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he died.

Sullivan, according to District Attorney Richard Brown, fled the scene and was apprehended after he gave a bag containing bullets from the murder weapon to his sister-in-law, Hind Chokary.

Chokary, 27, of St. Albans, Queens, was arraigned Thursday night on a tampering with physical evidence charge and released on her own recognizance. If convicted, she faces up to four years in prison.

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