Second time’s the charm.
A thug accused of shooting a cop who chased him into an East New York apartment building was finally convicted Tuesday in a verdict that could put him behind bars for up to 25 years.
After six days of deliberations by a Brooklyn jury and an August mistrial by another jury, Elijah Foster-Bey, 20, was convicted of assault Tuesday afternoon for the 2010 shooting. The jury also convicted Foster-Bey of criminal possession of a weapon but acquitted him on attempted murder and aggravated assault of a police officer.
He dodged a verdict in August when his first trial ended with a deadlocked jury.
Foster-Bey shot NYPD Det. Ricardo Ramirez after the then-teen biked past the cops and refused to stop when the cops called to him in East New York in 2010.
“I’m just happy it’s over,” Ramirez said after the verdict. “It’s been three years of a rollercoaster ride for me and my family. It’s the ending chapter of a horrible nightmare.”
Jurors said the case was a tough one – noting that it was unclear why cops first called out to Foster-Bey and whether Foster-Bey knew Ramirez was a cop.
“It was a really tough question. The evidence wasn’t as clear as it could have been. There were a lot of holes,” said a female juror.
“I wasn’t surprised to hear that there was a jury before us that couldn’t come to a decision,” said a male juror.
“I appreciate the jury’s hard work and I hope that the judge agrees with the people that Foster-Bey deserves the max,” said Brooklyn prosecutor Lew Lieberman.
The shooting happened after Foster-Bey sprinted into an East New York apartment building and ran up the stairs towards the roof.
When he found the roof door was locked he turned and engaged in a shoot out with Det. Ricardo Ramirez – hitting the detective and also getting shot himself.
Republished with permission of The New York Post.
