A police union boss blamed Alvin Bragg’s office for not issuing a warrant to confiscate a handgun from a career criminal two weeks before it was used in the fatal shooting.
Tyrell Rogers, 29, allegedly used a silver revolver to threaten and rob his former partner on February 8, a crime that was reported on February 17.
Two and a half weeks later, on March 8, the same gun was allegedly used by Rogers — a man with 23 arrests on his list of charges — in a double shooting at West 19th Street and 9th Avenue in Chelsea in which one person died.
But Detective Benevolent Association President Paul DiGiacomo said yesterday the shooting could have been prevented, accusing the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of making public a request from detectives investigating the Feb. 8 robbery to obtain a search warrant and confiscate Rogers’ gun.
“Why was DA Bragg’s office idle?” DiGiacomo asked. “Why did another New Yorker have to die?”
A search warrant for Rogers’ pistol was finally issued by Bragg’s office on March 10, but by then the career criminal had already been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the murder, according to court records.
This comes amid a rise in violent crime in New York City, with crime statistics up nearly 60 percent for February compared to the same month last year.
has contacted the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for comment.
NYPD detectives union boss accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office (pictured) of not issuing a warrant to confiscate a handgun from a career criminal two weeks before it was used in a fatal shooting (Bragg on photo in November)
Tyrell Rogers, 29, allegedly used a silver revolver to threaten and rob his former partner on February 8, a crime that was reported on February 17. Two and a half weeks later, on March 8, the same gun was allegedly used by Rogers — a man with 23 previous arrests on his record — in a double shooting at West 19th Street and Ninth Avenue in Chelsea (shooting scene pictured), in which one person died.
Detective Benevolent Association President Paul DiGiacomo argued that the shooting could have been easily prevented, but the district attorney’s office did not respond to a detective’s request for a search warrant and seizure of Rogers’ gun more than two weeks before the shooting (officers pictured). at the scene of the shooting)
Detectives Charities Association President Paul DiGiacomo
Rogers allegedly used the revolver on Feb. 8 to threaten his ex-girlfriend, according to court records, before stealing her cell phone and fleeing.
The serial offender allegedly yelled, “Give me the phone or I’ll kill you and everyone you love,” while pointing a gun at his ex-partner and her child, court records show.
Detectives filed for a search warrant on February 17, when the robbery finally broke, in light of Rogers’ staggering list of allegations.
But DiGiacomo said yesterday that the warrant was never issued, despite Rogers’ extensive criminal history.
The gun, which DiGiacomo protested was to be confiscated, was then allegedly used by Rogers against two people he encountered in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on March 8.
The two men were shot shortly after 10 p.m. near the intersection of West 19th Street and Ninth Avenue, police said.
One of the victims, a 27-year-old man, was shot in the right arm but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
However, his companion, a 31-year-old man, was shot in the stomach and suffered massive blood loss.
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The gun, which DiGiacomo protested was to be confiscated, was then allegedly used by Rogers against two people he encountered in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on March 8.
The two men were shot shortly after 10 p.m. near the intersection of West 19th Street and Ninth Avenue, police said. One of the victims, a 27-year-old man, was shot in the right arm but did not sustain life-threatening injuries (location pictured)
However, his companion, a 31-year-old man, was shot in the stomach and suffered massive blood loss (blood in the picture from the scene). He was taken to Bellevue Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
On March 10, detectives searched Rogers’ apartment and confiscated a gun believed to be used in the shooting, which matched the description given by the shooter’s ex-girlfriend of the gun he threatened her with during the February 8 robbery.
At the arraignment of the perpetrator, prosecutors told officials that Rogers’ former partner “indicated to police that the defendant frequently carried the weapon,” raising further questions as to why a warrant to search the weapon prior to the shooting was not issued.
Rogers was sent to Rikers Island on a $100,000 cash bail or a $100,000 bail.
The alarming case comes as violent crime continues to rise in the Big Apple, with statistics released earlier this month showing an almost 60 percent increase in incidents this February compared to 2021.
The city’s latest crime data released by the NYPD showed 9,138 incidents last month, up from 5,759 in the same period in 2021 — with double-digit increases in nearly every major category.
There were 32 murders in February, three more than in the same month last year.
Many other categories saw a shocking jump, including car theft, which rose nearly 105 percent; grand theft, which jumped nearly 80 percent from the previous year; robberies, which rose by 56 percent; A 44 percent increase in burglaries and a 22 percent surge in assaults. Rape also rose by a staggering 35 percent in February.
It comes amid reports that several violent criminals with extensive criminal records have been released without bail after their arrest.
During February, the NYPD reported a 58.7% increase in total crimes. The latest data showed 9,138 incidents, up from 5,759 in 2021 — with double-digit growth in almost all major categories.
Christopher Herrmann, former NYPD chief of criminal analysis and professor of law and police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told that he finds the statistics extremely alarming.
“Honestly, these numbers are all bad,” Herrmann said. “As a rule, the increase and decrease in crime is expressed in single digits. These new numbers are not good.”
Herrmann argued that this increase could be explained by lax bail laws, meaning that criminals can often get out of jail quickly after arrest, a situation that leads to more reoffending.
“Of course, there are enough cases of release from custody of people who should have remained in prison,” he said.
Herrmann added that the new figures for February – typically a low crime month due to weather and other factors – portend poor results for the rest of the coming year.
“There is no easy solution – these are long-term problems,” the forensic scientist said. “This is a new level of crime… People should be worried.”
In addition, experts say the state government needs to address glaring issues like homelessness and the mental health of offenders if New York has any hope of quelling the crime wave.
There were nearly 50,000 people in December last year, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was found dead last month after being stabbed in her apartment. Michelle Guo, 40, right, was on the Times Square subway platform when she was pushed onto the tracks.
Gui Ying Ma, a 62-year-old grandmother from Queens, died last month after being hit on the head with a rock.
The number of homeless people in New York is the highest since the Great Depression, with almost 50,000 in December last year, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
Meanwhile, the New York subway has become the epicenter of a hidden crime wave after an alarming 73.3 percent increase in underground incidents, including 182 in February alone.
Hate crimes also doubled from last year, with attacks against Asians more than tripling and complaints against Jews up a whopping 54 percent year-over-year, from 134 to 207 incidents.
One recent poll found that nearly 75 percent of all New York City voters consider crime to be a “very serious” problem, the highest since the poll began in 1999.