Attorney General James Takes 48 Guns Off the Streets at Poughkeepsie Gun Buyback

AG James Has Taken More Than 3,000 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019 

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that 48 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Poughkeepsie Police Department. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. Today’s event is a part of Attorney General James’ initiative to vigorously combat gun violence and protect New Yorkers throughout the state. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 3,000 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Communities in New York and across the nation are grappling with a rise in gun violence, and we must do all we can to combat this crisis and protect people from harm,” said Attorney General James. “Gun buybacks are essential to getting these dangerous weapons off our streets and out of circulation, and also save lives in the process. Every gun that is turned in today will help keep our neighborhoods safe, and I thank the Poughkeepsie Police Department for their invaluable support and collaboration in this effort.”

Today’s community gun buyback resulted in the collection of 48 guns, including 14 long guns, 19 handguns, 12 non-working guns, and three assault rifles. Since 2013, OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected more than 5,000 firearms. To date, Attorney General James has taken a total of more than 3,000 guns out of communities since 2019.

In exchange for the firearms, OAG offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.

Governor Hochul Addresses Shooting in Buffalo

 

Governor Hochul: "This is my community. I know this community well, I've walked these streets. I know the individuals who live here. It's a wonderful tight knit neighborhood. And to see that sense of security shattered by an individual, a white supremacist who has engaged in an act of terrorism and will be prosecuted as such…it strikes us in our very hearts to know that there is such evil that lurks out there…”

Hochul: “I've seen violence from guns on the Brooklyn subway, and now in the streets of Buffalo, it has to stop. It has to stop. On Tuesday in Albany, we had already planned to be announcing a comprehensive gun package to address further loopholes that exist in our laws. We are doing everything we can to ensure that our laws are tight, they're ironclad, to ensure that our law enforcement have the resources they need.”

 I want to thank the Buffalo Police Department for their exceptional work in handling this situation. And also I want to thank the New York State Police who have been embedded from the very beginning. The State Police role is supportive here locally, but also it is a prime role working with the FBI to secure the home of the individual, which is out of this region from the Southern Tier and amass as much evidence as humanly possible in the very near term.  

It's hard to know what to say. This is my community. I know this community well, I've walked these streets. I know the individuals who live here. It's a wonderful tight knit neighborhood. And to see that sense of security shattered by an individual, a white supremacist who has engaged in an act of terrorism and will be prosecuted as such, in a cold hearted, cruel calculating way. A military style execution, targeting people who simply want to buy groceries in a neighborhood store. 

It strikes us in our very hearts to know that there is such evil that lurks out there. Yes, I'm here to console the families in a community that is feeling so much pain right now. But mark my words we'll be aggressive in our pursuit of anyone who subscribes to the ideals professed by other white supremacists and how there's a feeding frenzy on social media platforms where hate festers more hate, that has to stop. 

These outlets must be more vigilant in monitoring social media content. And certainly the fact that this act of barbarism, this execution of innocent human beings could be live streamed on social media platforms and not taken down within a second, says to me that there is a responsibility out there. And we're going to continue to work on this and make sure that those who provide these platforms have a moral and ethical, and I hope to have a legal responsibility to ensure that such hate cannot populate these sites, because this is the result.  

When you have individuals who use these platforms and talk to others who share these demented views and support each other, and talk about the techniques that they'll engage in and post these ideas and share them with others, in the hope that they can all someday rise up in their demented view of the world.

That's what white supremacist terrorism is all about. That's what we witnessed here today on the streets of Buffalo, New York. And it has to end right here. And that is our message. We will continue to work at the federal, state, and local level with our community partners to help identify these messages as soon as they arise on social media. That is our best defense right now, as well as the legal system and the prosecution. It is my sincere hope that this individual, this white supremacist, who just perpetrated a hate crime on an innocent community will spend the rest of his days behind bars. And heaven help him in the next world as well.   

Yeah, I'm angry. I've seen violence from guns on the Brooklyn subway, and now in the streets of Buffalo, it has to stop. It has to stop. On Tuesday in Albany, we had already planned to be announcing a comprehensive gun package to address further loopholes that exist in our laws. We are doing everything we can to ensure that our laws are tight, they're ironclad, to ensure that our law enforcement have the resources they need. That is why I started a gun interdiction task force last January. Nine states, as well as NYPD, have teamed up with us to make sure that we can identify when guns are coming across the border from places like Pennsylvania guns shows and ended up in small communities outside Binghamton or in Broome County. We don't know that that is the source of the modifications made to a gun, but we’re going to find out and we're going to continue addressing this every single way we can.  

As an aside, we're also going to be preparing our state for what could be a Supreme Court decision that allows people to carry concealed weapons. We're ready. This is New York, we're here to protect our people. Thank you. 

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE MASS SHOOTING IN BUFFALO

 

"From Brooklyn to Buffalo, New York is grieving today after yet another mass shooting stole a reported ten lives. I pray for the families who are experiencing immeasurable loss tonight. As we await more information, as we search for answers, we also know that this violence is senseless, that no answers will suffice in the face of the inexplicable.  

"This week the CDC announced that 45,000 people were killed by gun violence in 2020, a tragic record and an indictment of our failures on all levels of government to combat this crisis and save lives. 45,000 lives lost and families devastated – a number so massive in scope that it can almost seem abstract, but the pain these families and communities feel is intense, acute, urgent.

"45,000, and ten more today at a supermarket in Buffalo. The threat of gun violence in our subways, our supermarkets, on our streets, will continue until we can finally, meaningfully address both the systems that enable individuals to perpetrate senseless violence and the weapons that enable such suffering."

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITY HALL, OTHER CITY BUILDINGS TO BE LIT GREEN IN SUPPORT OF ABORTION RIGHTS

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit green in support of abortion rights tonight. Earlier today, Mayor Adams, elected leaders, reproductive rights organizations, community leaders and activists, and thousands of New Yorkers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, calling for safe, legal access to abortion across the nation during the “Bans Off Our Bodies” march.  

 

“Abortion is health care and health care is a human right,” said Mayor Adams. “New York City stands with everyone fighting to protect reproductive rights and against anti-choice extremists trying to strip away 50 years of precedent. While New York will never block access to an abortion, now is the time for us to make clear, with one voice, that we will not allow the nation to move backwards. We are the majority: The majority of this city, this state, and this country that supports reproductive rights, and we will fight like hell to hold onto to those rights.” 

 

In addition to City Hall, the following municipal buildings will be lit up in green this weekend: 

• The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 
• Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Queens, NY 11424 
• Bronx Borough Hall: 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451 
• Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301

NYPD Announces Release of RTI Independent Assessment of the Department’s Investigation of Adult Sexual Assault Cases

 

Release Includes RTI Recommendations and NYPD Commitments

In its ongoing effort to better serve the people of New York City, the New York City Police Department announced the release of a commissioned report detailing best practices in our response and investigation of sexual assault cases. While there is much that its Special Victims Division (SVD) already does well, the NYPD is always seeking to improve its operations as it relates to sensitive cases and supporting sexual assault survivors.

With this in mind, in 2021 the NYPD partnered with the independent Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to provide a comprehensive assessment of the department’s approach to adult sexual assault cases. Working closely with advocates on all aspects of the review, this detailed assessment provides the NYPD with the information it needs to develop a forward-looking plan to improve its practices and continue to be a leader in investigating such crimes.

RTI’s assessment team was comprised of criminologists, prosecutors, survivor advocates, forensic scientists, and current and retired police personnel. RTI reviewed department policy and procedure, training, investigative response, and partnerships. They also interviewed dozens of NYPD employees and outside stakeholders, and analyzed 150 case files to better understand the department’s approach to adult sexual assault cases.

The NYPD appreciates the comprehensive and professional examination by RTI and its experts, and is fully committed to the report’s findings. Some of the report’s highlights include:

• Report Recommendation: Implement an agency-wide comprehensive sexual assault policy, starting from initial contact with the survivor through the investigative process and case resolution.
• NYPD Commitment: Create a guidebook providing uniformed and civilian members of the service with clear direction and expectations to establish a more consistent and standardized response to sexual assault. The document may include guidance on survivor advocacy, sexual assault crime-scene management, report documentation, 911 dispatch interactions with survivors, and more.
  
  
• Report Recommendation: Create and deliver and in-service sexual assault training for all NYPD personnel who have interactions with survivors of sexual assault.
• NYPD Commitment: Develop in-service training available to all members who may interact with a survivor of sexual assault, including civilian members such as 911 operators, hotline staff, and precinct reception personnel.
  
  
• Report Recommendation: Incorporate opportunities for cross-training with partner disciplines to improve communication and provide enhanced understanding of roles and response practices.
• NYPD Commitment: Increase cross-training with outside agencies, and enhance currently provided training for peer volunteer advocates across the city, including with the Crime Victims Treatment Center (CVTC), the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention program (SAVI), Bellevue Hospital volunteer advocacy group, Domestic & Other Violence Emergencies (DOVE), and the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hospital Volunteer Program.
  
  
• Report Recommendation: Ensure consistent supervisory oversight of case assignment, investigative actions, and case statuses to guarantee equitable distribution of responsibilities and support feedback opportunities related to caseloads and work quality.
• NYPD Commitment: Undertake a bureau-by-bureau staffing assessment that will examine resource levels, roles and responsibilities, workloads, and opportunities to enhance efficiency. After the initial review, reassessments will be made regularly.
  
  
• Report Recommendation: Develop a standing working group with advocacy partners that includes SVD supervisors and detectives.
• NYPD Commitment: Regularly meet with advocacy partners to improve practices, enhance communication, and define roles and expectations. Further develop and deepen bonds between the NYPD and the advocacy community.
  
  

An executive summary outlining the report’s findings, recommendations, and NYPD commitments, as well as the full RTI report, is now available to the public here:

• NYPD executive summary click here
• Full RTI report click here

Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on Fitch Ratings Outlook Revision

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a statement in response to today’s revised outlook on the City’s General Obligation (GO) credit from “stable” to “positive” by Fitch Ratings. 

The revised outlook comes in connection with the City’s upcoming general obligation bond sale. Fitch cites the City’s improved revenue performance and budgeted increases in reserve levels as key factors in their outlook revision. This action follows a meeting that the Comptroller’s senior staff had with Fitch personnel to discuss the City’s credit. 

Fitch also noted setting aside reserves above current levels and plausible structural solutions to out-year budget gaps as factors that could lead to them to upgrade the City’s credit rating. 

The City’s long-term General Obligation bond ratings are Aa2 from Moody’s, AA from S&P, AA+ from Kroll, and AA- from Fitch. 

In a statement, Comptroller Lander said:

“Fitch Ratings’ revised positive outlook on the City’s credit is welcome news for NYC. Prudent fiscal management is key to ensuring a strong economy for New York City, especially through a time of unprecedented challenges. NYC is in better-than-expected financial condition, made possible through historic federal relief as well as strong revenue collections. However, the work is not done, and the City should use this opportunity to continue bolstering reserves. My office remains committed to critical oversight of both the City’s budget and economy to ensure an inclusive recovery and a sustainable future for all New Yorkers.” 

Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Releases Report on Death of Steven Leconte

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) today released its report on the death of Steven Leconte of Brooklyn. After conducting a thorough and comprehensive investigation, OSI concluded that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers involved were justified under New York law when they fired at Mr. Leconte, who, armed with a handgun, had just shot three individuals and was pointing that gun at the officers. OSI’s review of the incident included footage from police body-worn cameras, street surveillance videos, interviews with witnesses, and other forms of evidence.

On the evening of July 8, 2021, Mr. Leconte approached a group of men gathered outside a store in Bushwick, Brooklyn and fired his gun, wounding three of them. A fourth person near the store fired a gun at Mr. Leconte, wounding him in the leg. NYPD officers patrolling nearby heard the shooting and arrived at the store within a minute or two, in which bystanders told them where the shooter had fled. The officers found Mr. Leconte nearby, crouched beside a parked car, with the gun still in his hand. The officers ordered Mr. Leconte to drop his gun. Instead, he pointed the gun at the officers, and the officers fired. The officers performed CPR until EMT arrived and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Under New York’s justification law, a police officer attempting to make an arrest may use deadly physical force to defend himself, herself, or others from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force. In this case, Mr. Leconte, who had just shot three men, ignored directions to drop his weapon and instead pointed his gun at an officer. After careful review of the facts and the law, OSI determined that the officers involved were justified in their actions because they were necessary to protect themselves, their colleagues, and the public. Nonetheless, Mr. Leconte’s death was a tragedy, and Attorney General James extends her condolences to his family.

NYCHA SUPERVISOR SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING SUPERINTENDENT

 

Defendant Pleaded Guilty to First-Degree Assault

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a former New York City Housing Authority employee was sentenced to 12 years in prison for shooting a building superintendent multiple times after being written up for a job infraction.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The victim faced life altering injuries after he was shot four times at his workplace for writing up the defendant for an infraction. The victim suffered from a collapsed lung and other serious injuries. The defendant is now facing consequences for this senseless shooting of a civil servant. Fortunately, the victim was able to survive.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant Frankie Corchado, 48, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio. He pleaded guilty to first-degree Assault on April 20, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on January 6, 2020 inside the Fort Independence Houses, Corchado, who worked as a Supervisor of Caretakers, met with Charles Newton, the superintendent, along with a manager. The defendant was written up for an infraction. Corchado left and returned with a gun, kicked open the victim’s office door and shot him once in the leg and once in the chest. After the victim fell to the ground, Corchado shot him again in the abdomen and fired another shot, hitting the victim’s foot. He attempted to shoot the victim at least two additional times during the attack, however the gun didn’t fire after the trigger was pulled. Newton was shot a total of four times.

 The victim was treated at Saint Barnabas Hospital, undergoing several surgeries to remove bullet fragments from his abdomen. He also suffered from a collapsed lung and had a rod inserted into his leg. A bullet remains lodged in one of his legs, along with fragments in one of his feet.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Detectives Andrew Greges and Robert Hoey of the 50th Precinct, and retired Lieutenant John Gogarty of the 50th Precinct.