Gas Station Gunman Gets 21 Years For Crown Heights Killing: DA

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN -- A gunman who burst into a busy Crown Heights gas station and murdered a man in broad daylight will spend more than 20 years in prison, prosecutors announced.

Andre Rodriguez, 31, faces a 21-year sentence after he shot Keith Vereen, 46, in the chest at the the BP gas station on Atlantic and Utica avenues in 2017, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced.

Rodriguez snuck up on his victim as he pumped gas into his truck, rammed the gun barrel into Vereen's chest and pulled the trigger at about noon on June 17, prosecutors said.

Surveillance video captured both the shooting and the moment when Rodriquez dropped his phone at the crime scene, said prosecutors.

Cops were soon able to trace DNA from the phone back to Rodriguez and arrest him, said prosecutors.

Rodriguez, of Bed-Stuy, was convicted on Jan. 28 of murder and criminal possession of a weapon in Brooklyn Criminal Court, where he was sentenced Thursday, said prosecutors.

“Such brazen shootings will not be tolerated in Brooklyn," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "This murder left the victim’s son and many family members devastated. I hope they find some solace in today’s sentence.”