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Man Who Fatally Shot Neighbor 5 Times Then Hid In River In Westchester Sentenced

A man will spend decades in prison after fatally shooting his neighbor five times in Westchester County before hiding from police in a river. 

The .38 caliber revolver used in the shooting was found tossed under a bush in Yonkers near Center Street right by the Saw Mill River.

The .38 caliber revolver used in the shooting was found tossed under a bush in Yonkers near Center Street right by the Saw Mill River.

Photo Credit: Google Maps street view/Westchester County District Attorney's Office

Yonkers resident Terrence Gonzalez, age 31, was sentenced to 25 years to life for fatally shooting 23-year-old Lateef Butler outside the Yonkers apartment building on Nepperhan Avenue that they both shared, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Thursday, Feb. 16. 

The shooting happened on June 26, 2022, around 6:10 p.m., when Gonzalez used a .38 caliber revolver to shoot Butler five times in the neck, chest, hip, and thigh after a dispute they had outside the building. 

Butler was then taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. 

Following the shooting, Gonzalez tried hiding from police in the Saw Mill River by Stefanik Park in Yonkers. His hiding place did not work out though, as authorities soon found him as well as the gun he used in the shooting, which was found under a bush near Center Street. 

Surveillance footage of the shooting also identified Gonzalez as the suspect in the killing.

On Wednesday, Dec. 21, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. 

Rocah commented on the violent case. 

"In keeping my promise to hold perpetrators of gun violence accountable, today’s sentence brings justice for Lateef Butler’s family and removes a dangerous individual from our streets," she said. 

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