A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to serve two decades in prison after pulling out a gun and shooting at a man from point-blank range during a dispute, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office says that evidence shows the defendant, 34-year-old Jamal Batts, entered a dispute with the victim, a 53-year-old man, in Boerum Hill in November 2021.
Court documents state that the defendant’s dog defecated on the sidewalk where the victim was cleaning, causing the victim to complain before Batts used a derogatory racial slur.
Following that dispute, Batts threatened to kill the victim and pointed the gun at the victim’s head before firing at point-blank range. The victim and Batts then struggled outside of 222 Hoyt St. before the victim was able to escape into a store.
Video surveillance from the storefront located at 222 Hoyt St. and videos from the New York City Housing Authority captured the incident and the path of the defendant afterwards.
Jamal Batts, 34, was convicted of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree criminal use of a firearm and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.