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Jennel Funderburke, of Coram, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in Suffolk County Court on Friday, May 12, in connection with the shooting of a Suffolk County Police officer one day prior.
Police had been surveilling Funderburke’s Coram home, located on Homesteads Drive near Norfleet Lane, as part of an armed robbery investigation on Thursday, May 11, according to police.
He reportedly fled the home on foot when he saw police, and was chased by Officer Michael Lafauci.
As the two were running, Funderburke turned around and fired two shots at Lafauci, striking him in the right thigh, police said.
Lafauci, a six-year veteran of the department and father of an infant, later underwent emergency surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told reporters at a press conference.
His condition has since been upgraded from serious to fair condition.
"We ask you to keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers," Harrison said.
The shooting came three years after Suffolk County Police officers rescued Funderburke and three others from a burning car, Suffolk County PBA President Noel DiGerolamo told reporters outside the courtroom Friday.
“They save his life, only in return for him to attempt to kill one,” he said. “This is what our leaders in Albany have created."
Following the car rescue, police reportedly found illegal drugs and a handgun that belonged to Funderburke, DiGerolamo said.
Funderburke was arrested at the scene Friday and charged with:
- Attempted aggravated murder
- First-degree robbery
According to Harrison, Funderburke is a member of the Bloods street gang and has had “several contacts with police,” including an arrest for criminal possession of a weapon in August 2022.
Leaving his court appearance on Friday, he told reporters, “Tell him I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
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