Queens parolee who shot NYPD cop and wounded bystander had long criminal history

The Queens gunman who shot and wounded an NYPD bull on with an guiltless bystander earlier helium was changeable dormant was a vocation transgression with much than 17 felony arrests stretching backmost to the 1980s, constabulary said.

Gary “Green Eyes” Worthy was already connected beingness parole erstwhile helium robbed 2 stores connected Hillside Ave. and Guy Brewer Blvd. Tuesday evening, each clip firing a slug into the aerial from his revolver to scare the workers into compliance, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

The robberies acceptable successful question a fatal clash betwixt Worthy and Officer Rich Wong, who was changeable successful the limb during the chaotic shootout adjacent Jamaica Ave. and 164th St. successful Jamaica astir 6:30 p.m.

Worthy served much than 14 years successful situation aft being convicted of drugs and weapons possession and burglary successful 2009. He was released successful 2021 and enactment connected beingness parole.

Since his release, he’s been arrested 7 times, mostly for cause possession, burglary, and assault, constabulary said.

“His past apprehension was six days agone for narcotics possession and resisting arrest,” Kenny said astatine a property league astatine Jamaica Hospital, wherever Officer Wong was treated and is connected the mend. “(He) was released connected his ain recognizance connected that charge.”

Worthy’s past known code was successful South Jamaica. At the clip of his death, helium had 3 pending cases successful Queens and was suspected of committing a robbery and a burglary, constabulary said.

His archetypal apprehension was successful 1984 erstwhile helium was busted for marijuana possession but helium moved connected to burglary, robbery, and cause possession by the extremity of the 80s.

In 1994, helium was arrested connected a execution charge. He yet pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter for that killing, Mayor Adams said.

“(He’s) a brazen unsafe vocation transgression who didn’t deliberation doubly astir sidesplitting a constabulary officer,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said astir Worthy astatine Tuesday’s property conference.

Worthy should person been thrown backmost down bars upon his archetypal apprehension aft his merchandise from prison, Hendry said. Instead, helium was repeatedly allowed backmost connected the streets, wherever helium wantonly fired disconnected his limb during 2 robberies and past tried to extremity a cop’s life, the national caput said.

“We volition proceed to instrumentality unsafe criminals disconnected the streets. We person your back,” Hendry said. “I cognize what doesn’t person your backmost — the transgression justness system. It continues to fto america down each azygous day.”

Shell casings are marked connected the sidewalk aft an serviceman and a fishy were changeable connected Jamaica Ave. and 161st St. successful Queens Tuesday. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)

Wong and his spouse were searching for the idiosyncratic liable for the back-to-back holdups erstwhile a witnesser pointed retired Worthy.

The officers asked Worthy to halt but helium refused. He ran off, pulled a weapon and fired astatine the officers, striking Wong successful the leg.

A 26-year-old pistillate buying connected Jamaica Ave. was besides blasted successful the leg, cops said. The pistillate was down Wong and his spouse erstwhile she was hit. Forensic investigators are trying to find if the pistillate was deed by a ricochet oregon the slug that deed Wong, which went done the seven-year NYPD veteran’s leg. Worthy fired 1 changeable successful the cops’ direction, Kenny said.

A wounded Wong fired back, fatally shooting Worthy successful the face, cops said.

Gary Worthy connected the crushed aft being changeable dormant by constabulary connected Jamaica Ave. and 160th St. successful Queens. (Courtesy of Harry Jaikeren)

“He was coming retired of the Target. The bull told him astir 4 times, ‘Do not run. Do not run’. After that a changeable rang out,” Henry Jaikeren, a thoroughfare vendor moving crossed the thoroughfare astatine the time, told the Daily News Tuesday. “The feline spun astir and the bull changeable him 4 much times successful the belly. He was dormant connected the ground.”

Police analyse aft an serviceman and a fishy were changeable connected Jamaica Ave. and 161st St. successful Queens. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)

Mayor Adams said Tuesday’s shooting was the 2nd clip successful 2 days successful which citizens “witnessed a transgression justness strategy that failed New Yorkers.”

On Monday, stateless antheral Ramon Rivera, who had been repeatedly arrested for low-level offenses and had ne'er been sentenced to much than a twelvemonth successful jail, was arrested for butchering 3 guiltless people during a crazed stabbing spree crossed Manhattan.