Nearly ten years after a fatal Memorial Day weekend shooting, the gunman has been sentenced to prison.
Bushwick resident David Cruz was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison for shooting William Perez point-blank on May 25, 2015, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Cruz was convicted of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in November, after a jury trial.
“Today’s sentence brings the defendant to justice for a reprehensible act of violence,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “It should also send a strong message that shooting guns in our streets cannot and will not be tolerated, and that my office is committed to holding to account anyone who commits crimes that ruin lives and jeopardize public safety in Brooklyn.”
According to the DA’s office, the victim, Perez, was on his way to a Memorial Day barbecue in East New York with friends when he “crossed paths” with Cruz and two associates.
Just before 9 p.m., one of Perez’ friends, a 22-year-old, was shot multiple times, and the group fled down the street. Perez, though, turned back toward the corner where his friend had been shot, and Cruz caught up with him — then shot him once in the back.
Cruz fled the scene and threw the gun into the front yard of a daycare nearby, according to the DA. Perez was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation identified Perez as the likely shooter, and he was arrested in 2018. A previous jury trial ended in mistrial, per the DA.
