Brownsville Gunman Paralyzed Man To Steal Necklace, DA Says

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn gunman who paralyzed a man in order to steal his necklace has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, prosecutors said.

David Johnson, 44, was sentenced for repeatedly shooting a 21-year-old construction worker who was laying bricks near Shepherd and Belmont avenues at about 10:50 a.m. on May 23, 2016, prosecutors said.

Johnson tried to rip the man’s necklace from his throat and, when his victim resisted, he pulled out a gun and fired, said prosecutors.

The terrified man took off his necklace and threw it at Johnson, but he continued to shoot the construction worker once in the elbow and twice in the torso, prosecutors said.

Emergency responders rushed Johnson’s victim to a nearby hospital, where he remained for the next two months and underwent two surgeries, said prosecutors.

The construction worker, now 23, remains remains paralyzed from the waist down, prosecutors said.

Investigators who found three .40 caliber shell casings and a baseball hat that Johnson left behind arrested the Brownsville man on July 23, 2016, prosecutors said.

A jury found Johnson, of Brownsville, guilty of attempted murder in June, prosecutors said.

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn District Attorney's office