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Poughkeepsie residents Steven Williams and Donnell Johnson, both 24, had faced murder charges, but Williams pleaded guilty in Orange County Court this week to reduced charges that include manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. Johnson pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment.
A third man, Tysheed McPhee, 23, pleaded guilty to attempting to tamper with physical evidence. Williams faces up to 15 years in prison, Johnson is facing two to four years behind bars and McPhee faces a year in Orange County Jail.
Charges are currently pending against Poughkeepsie resident Kyreem Selman, 18, who was also in the car during the chase.
As part of his plea, Williams admitted to firing the gun that killed Jermaine Cooper on Jan. 25 near the corner of Hasbrouck and Williams streets in Newburgh.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 25, the three suspects were in a car near the intersection when Williams admitted to shooting a gun toward the sidewalk, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said. One of those bullets struck and killed Cooper.
Hoovler said that an officer from the Town of Newburgh Police Department spotted a vehicle that matched the description of the suspected shooters on 9W. When the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle, driven by Johnson, began weaving through traffic, taking investigators on a high-speed chase that continued across the Mid-Hudson Bridge.
Johnson admitted to swerving between lanes and other vehicles, speeding, driving on the shoulder to avoid police and other traffic offenses. During the chase, McPhee threw the gun out of the window, which was ultimately recovered during the investigation.
The three men who pleaded guilty are all scheduled to appear in Orange County Court in June for sentencing.
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