The off-duty Customs and Border Safety officer allegedly shot within the face by an unlawful migrant final month suffered “devastating and lasting accidents” that required a number of surgical procedures, prosecutors revealed on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old sufferer underwent a string of operations to restore his face, tooth and tongue after alleged gunman Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, shot him within the jaw throughout a botched theft inside Fort Washington Park on July 19, in keeping with Manhattan Assistant District Lawyer Joseph Abrams.
The federal agent – who fired again along with his personal gun in the course of the confrontation – was additionally shot in the correct wrist, sustaining fractures that additionally required surgical procedure.
Abrams detailed the sufferer’s grotesque accidents as Mora Nunez and his confederate and fellow Dominican Republic nationwide Christhian Aybar-Berroa, 22, had been arraigned on their state expenses in Manhattan Supreme Courtroom, the place dozens of border patrol brokers packed the chamber.
“The defendant and his co-defendant have each been charged in connection within the taking pictures of an off-duty federal agent in the course of the course of an tried theft on July 19, throughout which they inflicted severe and lasting accidents to the sufferer,” the prosecutor instructed the court docket.
“Each defendants have additionally been charged with one other theft they dedicated minutes earlier.”
Mora Nunez, an unlawful immigrant charged with tried first- and second-degree homicide, appeared nearly from a hospital mattress sporting a yellow robe and white sheet as he pleaded not responsible.
Aybar-Berroa, sporting a lightweight brown jail jumpsuit, strolled into court docket along with his head down and pleaded not responsible to theft, assault and weapons expenses via an interpreter.
Whereas the choose set bail at $1, the duo will stay in custody on their federal expenses, which shall be prosecuted alongside the state’s case for the violent encounter close to the crimson lighthouse underneath the George Washington Bridge.
Mora Nunez and Aybar-Berro — who every racked up prolonged rap sheets since crossing the US-Mexico border in 2023 and 2022, respectively — had hatched plans to commit robberies within the park over the safe calling and messaging app, in keeping with District Lawyer Alvin Bragg.
The pair rode a moped into the park round 11:50 p.m. and robbed a lady of her cellphone earlier than they noticed the off-duty agent sitting with one other particular person on a jetty dealing with the water underneath the bridge.
Mora Nunez received off the moped and approached the unsuspecting victims from behind whereas brandishing a firearm. He shot the officer within the face and arm earlier than the unidentified agent pulled out his personal firearm and opened fireplace, hanging the gun-toting migrant within the leg and groin, prosecutors stated.
The wounded thug scurried again to the moped, the place he and his confederate – who was within the driver’s seat – sped off to a Bronx hospital, the place he was unceremoniously dumped outdoors it by Aybar-Berro.
Mora Nunez was arrested on the hospital and Aybar-Berro was nabbed the following day.
The pair had each illegally crossed the southern border, however had been launched forward of immigration hearings. Additionally they had been arrested a number of occasions by the NYPD, however let free.
The alleged shooter additionally has two open instances within the Bronx and one in Massachusetts, and is at the moment being held on an ICE immigration detainer.
