Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on June 27th that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for a shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead. The defendant and his alleged accomplice opened fire into a car parked in Flatlands where the victim was sitting with his girlfriend. The victim managed to push his girlfriend out of the car before collapsing, shielding her from the gunfire.
DA Gonzalez said, “This was a horrific and completely senseless act of violence unleashed upon two defenseless victims at pointblank range. Gang violence destroys too many young lives in Brooklyn and fighting against that remains my highest priority. I hope today’s prison sentence makes clear that those who terrorize our communities will face very serious consequences.”
Tristan Murray, 30, was sentenced in Brooklyn Supreme Court to 35 years to life in prison. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on May 19, 2023, following a jury trial.
The case against the defendant’s alleged accomplice, Tarell Herbert, 29, also of Brooklyn, is pending trial. He is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and related charges.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on September 2, 2016, at about 7 p.m., Anthony Francis, 21, was wrapping up a visit with his girlfriend in Flatlands, when they entered his BMW, which was parked on the street. Francis and his girlfriend were seated in the vehicle when the defendant and his alleged accomplice drove up to the BMW at approximately 7:26 p.m. and opened fire from their passenger side window into the BMW.
Murray and his alleged accomplice were affiliated with the Folk Nation gang in Flatbush and were looking for rival gang members to shoot at the time of the incident, according to trial testimony. They spotted the victim, a member of the rival Woo gang based in Canarsie, and one of the defendants yelled “Woo, Woo, Woo,” which is a way that Woo members greet each other. Murray and his alleged accomplice then opened fire. The victim, who was struck in the chest, pushed his girlfriend out of the car just before he died. There were multiple shell casings found at the scene and Francis’ BMW was riddled with multiple bullets.
Murray was arrested a day after the shooting with a .45 caliber gun and, in the course of a lengthy investigation by the Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, that gun was traced to the homicide.
Courtesy of Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office