Admin
A Brooklyn landlord was hit with gun costs Monday within the deadly taking pictures of his tenant who broke into his house armed with a Taser over the weekend, prosecutors and regulation enforcement sources mentioned.
LaShawn Craig — an MTA worker and army veteran — allegedly opened fireplace after discovering Timothy Jones inside his Bedford-Stuyvesant house, sporting a masks and gloves and toting a Taser at round 9:40 p.m. on Friday, in keeping with authorities and the sources.
Craig, a 45-year-old prepare operator, advised Jones to get out of the house after which noticed him reaching into his pockets, which is when he unloaded a handgun, in keeping with prosecutors.
He referred to as 911 after the taking pictures and surrendered the unlawful gun, a Smith and Wesson 40 caliber pistol, to police, in keeping with sources and the felony grievance towards him.
Sources mentioned Craig and Jones, a 64-year-old profession felony, had been arguing about household images earlier than the spat took a violent flip.
It wasn’t clear whether or not the 2 males had been associated to one another.
“Where’s my images?” Jones had allegedly yelled from contained in the constructing on Pulaski Street close to Malcolm X Boulevard, the place he lived with Craig, the sources mentioned.
Jones was struck within the torso, leaving him mortally wounded. He died at Kings County Hospital Center, cops mentioned.
Craig, who has no prior felony historical past, was arrested Sunday and arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court Monday on two counts of felony possession of a weapon – one a felony and the opposite a misdemeanor – in addition to a felony possession of a firearm cost, in keeping with the grievance.
While prosecutors requested $50,000 bail, a judge freed Craig on supervised launch, in keeping with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
The taking pictures was being investigated as a “justified murder” as a result of self-defense, sources mentioned.
Jones had greater than 20 prior arrests, largely for narcotics and home violence, in addition to an aggravated unlicensed operator cost, the sources mentioned.
He was additionally significantly harm in a taking pictures inside his house on the second flooring of the identical constructing in June 2022.
That incident — which didn’t contain Craig — resulted within the dying of 19-year-old Briana Zaret, who had proven up on the house with a male companion trying to purchase cocaine, in keeping with the sources.
A battle broke out, throughout which the person who was with Zaret grabbed a gun and opened fireplace, killing her and placing Jones within the head, gravely wounding him, in keeping with cops and the sources.
Jose Romero, 47, of Queens, was arrested in connection to that taking pictures and charged with homicide, tried homicide, assault and felony possession of a weapon, cops mentioned on the time.
Jones was hospitalized, initially in vital situation, whereas Zaret was pronounced dead on the scene, cops mentioned.
Outside the Pulaski Street dwelling Monday afternoon blood splatters remained on the steps and the sidewalk, and an MTA jacket may be seen mendacity on the porch of the house.
“I used to be simply watching TV and I heard gunshots,” a neighbor, who declined to present his identify, mentioned concerning the taking pictures three days prior, questioning what would have provoked his often nice neighbor.
“[Craig] looks as if a chill particular person, so I’m undecided what compelled him to do what he’s accused of. It’s alarming as a result of I used to be proper subsequent to it when it occurred,” he mentioned.
Another man mentioned his girlfriend recalled listening to “an entire clip being emptied – 10 photographs, perhaps.”
“Before that there was a gaggle of dudes on the porch space, deliberating one thing,” the native mentioned.
“She went to seize one thing from the bodega, and when she got here again she heard photographs,” he mentioned about his girlfriend. “[Craig] is a brilliant good man. One time my girlfriend dropped a carton of eggs on the ground after which he ran out and gave her a brand new carton of eggs. Really good dude.”
MTA spokesperson Michael Cortez mentioned Craig — who has labored for the company since 2014 — “is being withheld from service pending a evaluation of all of the details.”
Craig can be a veteran with a number of deployments, sources mentioned.
“Mr. Craig is an effective man,” household pal Jackie Marshall, 38, advised The Post. “I don’t know what was occurring with him and his tenant, however he is an effective man. It’s a really unhappy scenario. Mr. Craig is an effective man. He works. He’s within the Army…to even hear about one thing like it is a horrible factor. It’s a complete shock.”
The Legal Aid Society, which is representing Craig within the case, didn’t return a request for remark.
