A 22-year-old Queens man was sentenced to nearly two decades behind bars in connection to a botched shootout that left an unintended target of a shootout dead in 2020, the local district attorney's office said.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday that Nazieer Basir was sentenced to 17 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision for the deadly shooting of a 22-year-old man in Ozone Park. Basir pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree last month.
According to the charges, just before 10 p.m. on Dec.7, 2020, Basir and three others, including the victim, Royhessny Sintjago, attempted to attack a group of rivals sitting in a parked car near the intersection of 90th Street and Liberty Avenue.
Eventually, according to the charges, the car pulled away and Sintjago chased it on foot. Basir fired two shots at the car -- one which ultimately struck Sintjago in the head, killing him.
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“We will not tolerate shoot-outs on the streets of Queens County. People will be held accountable for their actions. The sentence meted out today by the court appropriately punishes the defendant for his behavior and I am grateful for all involved in the prosecution of this case," Katz said following the sentencing.