Retired NYC doorman, 65, faces numerous gun charges after being arrested for shooting dead robber
Retired NYC doorman, 65, faces a host of gun charges after being arrested for shooting a dead robber who ‘jumped at him with a sharp object’ that turned out to be a pen
- Cody Gonzalez attempted a robbery on Wednesday before being shot
- The gunman Charles Foehner faces 25 other gun charges
- Judge Marty Lentz has now withdrawn from the “complicated” case
A 65-year-old from Queen’s, charged with shooting and killing a man who tried to rob him, was charged with a further 25 criminal charges not directly related to the shooting earlier today.
His bail was set at $50,000 by Judge Jerry Iannece, double the amount originally requested by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Retired doorman Charles Foehner was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after a man, attempting a robbery with a sharp object that turned out to be a pen, was shot dead in Kew Gardens.
To give evidence told NBC a man, identified by police as Cody Gonzalez, shattered the front door of an apartment building on 82nd Avenue near Queens Boulevard.
The man also destroyed a phone booth in the foyer of a building across the street.
Police said Gonzalez approached Foehner, holding a sharp object and demanding money and cigarettes, in an attempt to rob him, though the sharp object turned out to be a pen.
Charles Foehner, 65, was arraigned Friday on 25 counts
Foehner’s wife leaves court on Friday
Police said the confrontation escalated and Foehner pulled out a gun and shot Gonzalez.
Foehner called 911 and stayed at the scene, but Gonzalez was later pronounced dead.
The shooter has a shotgun and rifle gun license, but it does not cover the gun used in the shooting, nor did he have a concealed carry license.
A judge, who has since backed down, signed a search warrant for Foehner’s home, leading to the discovery of more than two dozen unlicensed firearms.
On Thursday night, Foehner was charged with 25 counts of criminal gun possession, according to police.
Judge Marty Lentz distanced herself on Thursday night, telling the court that her prior knowledge of the “complicated” case would force her to prejudge the case, which would be unfair to the defendant. Fox 5 reported.
Foehner told prosecutors, “I took the gun out of my pocket. It didn’t go off by accident. I pulled the trigger. I emptied the revolver.
Last night I carried a gun because of the crime in the city… I’ve had it since the 1990s. I obtained it one night in a bar. The firearms are mine and mine alone’ ABC 7 reported.
Gonzalez’s aunt told NBC New York that her 32-year-old cousin suffered from mental illness, but that he didn’t deserve to die for the attempted robbery.
“He was never aggressive towards people. He really didn’t deserve to go that way. It was devastating for us,” said Iris Gonzalez. “He didn’t have to shoot him.”
Security footage from the attempted robbery shows the two men in the confrontation
The incident took place outside an apartment building on 82nd Avenue near Queens Boulevard
Cody Gonzalez approached Foehner with a sharp object in his hand and demanded money and cigarettes
Foehner is accused of shooting and killing a man who tried to rob him
Emergency services arrived at the scene, but Gonzalez was later pronounced dead
However, other relatives of the deceased uttered a different tone.
“If he tried to rob him, that man is just defending himself. You can’t blame him for defending himself,” Gonzalez’s cousin, Anthony Aguilar, told the New York Daily News.
“We don’t blame the shooter. We all think Cody should have been in a mental institution. In any case, the state has failed him,” said another cousin, Stephan Gonzalez.