STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A defense attorney for a 20-year-old man charged recently in a shooting on Staten Island is claiming police “made up” his client’s confession.
Elias Reyes — who is listed as residing with family in Roselle, New Jersey, but has Staten Island ties — is facing a top count of attempted murder in connection with the Sept. 2 incident.
Prosecutors said the violence unfolded at about 7:30 p.m. on Dongan Street in West Brighton. The victim, a 25-year-old man, was shot in the leg. He also suffered “annoyance and alarm” as a result of the shooting, according to a criminal complaint.
Reyes was tracked down by police two days later and arrested on an attempted murder charge, along with a slew of other counts including felony assault and criminal possession of a firearm.
Over the course of their investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance footage, interviewed witnesses and allegedly took down the defendant’s own statements.
Reyes, according to the complaint, told police: “I took out my gun and shot him.”
The defense, however, says the confession never happened.
“We’re contesting the confession as made up by the arresting officer,” said defense attorney Mario Gallucci, following his client’s Dec. 17 appearance in state Supreme Court, St. George.
NYPD detectives responded Sept. 2 to a shooting incident on Dongan Street in West Brighton.(Google Maps)
The defendant acted alongside two other unidentified individuals in “attempting to cause the death of another,” the complaint continued. Details about what led up to the violence remained unclear in court documents.
The defendant, who was quiet throughout the latest court proceedings, had the support of his parents who looked on from the gallery. They declined to comment outside the courtroom.
Justice Alexander B. Jeong adjourned the case to Jan. 20 for a conference.