ROCKAWAY BEACH MAN CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR SHOOTING AT NYPD OFFICERS IN EDGEMERE

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Joel Kelly was arraigned on a criminal complaint charging him with attempted murder in the first degree, attempted assault in the first degree and other crimes for firing at two NYPD police officers who were pursuing him in Edgemere after responding to a call of shots fired in the Beach 41st Street Houses. A 9 mm ghost gun pistol was recovered from the scene where the defendant was apprehended.

District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant allegedly fired at police officers and miraculously no one was struck. Attempts on the lives of police officers, who put themselves in harm’s way to protect New Yorkers, have no place in our city. We will remain steadfast in our efforts to take illegal firearms, especially ghost guns, out of our communities.”

Kelly, 60, of Beach 92nd Street in Rockaway Beach, was arraigned last night on a criminal complaint charging him with attempted murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

Judge Quynda Santacroce remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court today.

If convicted of the top count, Kelly faces a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years to life in prison.

According to the charges:

• On July 27, at approximately 12:07 a.m., Joel Kelly visited his sister’s apartment on Beach 40th Street in the Beach 41st Street Houses. Shortly thereafter, she told him to leave.
• At approximately 12:23 a.m., Kelly was seen outside his sister’s apartment building holding what appeared to be a pistol. He turned around and fired one shot, continued to walk and turned around again and fired a second shot.
• An NYPD sergeant and a police officer then responded to the area after a report was made of shots fired. Kelly was seen by the officers walking north on Beach 51st The officers pursued Kelly who turned around, raised his arm while holding a pistol and fired in the direction of the two officers. The officers were not hit.
• Kelly then fled and threw a firearm to the ground, which caused the magazine to dislodge from the gun. A 9 mm pistol, which was a ghost gun, was recovered from 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.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Salmon of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief, Roni Piplani, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.