A Springfield Gardens man is facing up to 75 years to life in prison after he was found guilty of murder in the June 2022 shooting death of an accomplice during a chaotic parking lot shootout on Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park.
Richard Dixon, 35, of 141st Avenue, was convicted by a jury on May 12 of murder in the second degree, attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon. The jury deliberated for under an hour before reaching a guilty verdict. Dixon fatally shot his accomplice, 38-year-old Raymond Francis, instead of the individual he was pursuing. The incident also resulted in multiple gun injuries to the two intended victims. Dixon and his first intended victim grew up together in adjacent warring neighborhoods on the island nation of Jamaica.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on June 19, 2022, at around 5 a.m., Dixon and Francis walked into a parking lot off Cross Bay Boulevard near Pitkin Avenue. Dixon was holding an AR-style assault weapon and Francis had a .40-caliber pistol. The pair approached their two intended targets who had just left a party and were waiting by their respective vehicles because another car was blocking them from leaving. Dixon pointed the assault weapon at one of the victims and shot him in the face, taking off approximately half of his jaw. Dixon continued following and firing mercilessly at the victim as he attempted to crawl for his life behind his car. The second victim then took out a licensed 9 mm pistol and began shooting at Dixon. Dixon fired back at the second victim who fell backward into his own car. Dixon immediately fired again in the direction where the second victim had been standing. The bullet stuck and ultimately killed his accomplice instead.
Dixon fled the scene in a vehicle later determined to be registered to his wife.
Following the shootout, emergency responders found Francis unresponsive and collapsed atop his .40-caliber pistol with a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The first intended victim, who suffered extensive gunshot injuries to his face and upper back, was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, while the second victim was transported by private means to Kings County Hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds to his leg.
Dixon showed up at Nassau University Medical Center seeking attention for multiple gunshot injuries, including to the leg, groin, buttocks and knee. He made a false report as having been shot at Baisley Pond Park in South Jamaica. The NYPD detectives who initially interviewed Dixon quickly determined that no shooting took place in Baisley Pond park that day. The investigators interviewed Dixon again, at which point he admitted to being shot on Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park. Based upon additional investigation involving Dixon’s cell phone and vehicle, Dixon was determined to be the shooter.
Trial openings took place on April 14 and closings on May 11. Queens Acting Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris ordered Dixon to return to court on June 15 to face a sentence of up to 75 years to life in prison.
“The defendant unleashed a hail of bullets using a military-grade assault weapon in a deliberate attempt to kill, only to fatally strike his own accomplice in the chaos he created,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “This conviction holds Richard Dixon accountable for the deadly consequences of his violent actions.”