Man Shot Six Times By Off-Duty NYPD Officer Speaks Out For First Time
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- For the first time, a man came face-to-face with the NYPD officer accused of shooting him multiple times last year.
Joseph Felice walked out of the White Plains courthouse where NYPD Officer Brendan Cronin, who faces attempted murder charges, made a brief court appearance.
Prosecutors said Cronin was off duty when he opened fire on a car waiting at a red light in Pelham in April 2014.
Victim Speaks Out For First Time Since Pelham Shooting
Felice was in the passenger's seat and nearly died after he was shot six times.
"I cannot believe that I was shot multiple times, let alone by a New York City police officer," Felice said, speaking about the shooting Thursday for the first time since the incident. "There are not enough words to describe and explain the pain, the suffering, the trauma, and the incredible anxiety that you have caused me and my family."
Felice is still recovering.
"Now my right arm is basically all steel, my hand and thumb had to be surgically put back together and I still have a bullet lodged in my chest which serves as a constant reminder," Felice said. "My family and I will have to live with the consequences of your reckless behavior forever."
During the court appearance, Cronin's attorney handed the prosecutor a psychiatric evaluation to support his defense, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
Felice's attorney, Randy McLaughlin, calls the defense hot air.
"A blackout defense, that he has no recollection of what he did that day, but there's no dispute as to what he did that day," McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin is suing Cronin and the city on behalf of Felice. Cronin had allegedly been drinking during an NYPD training day before the shooting, Jones reported.
The NYPD has suspended Cronin without pay. If convicted, he will be terminated. If acquitted, he could still face departmental trial, CBS2's Lou Young reported in October.
