Steven Williams, 29, and Donnell Johnson, 24, were charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence; possession of a revolver, and a host of other charges.
Tysheed McPhee, 23, and Kyreem Selman, 18, were charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other charges, said the Orange County District Attorney's Ofice.
At the arraignments, prosecutors argued that on Jan. 25, at about 10:20 p.m., all four of the men were in a Toyota RAV4 driven by Johnson in the area of Hasbrouck and Williams streets when Williams and Johnson shot Jermaine Cooper, 40, of Newburgh, according to District Attorney David Hoovler.
Cooper died hours later at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, the DA's Office said.
A Town of Newburgh Police officer spotted a vehicle matching the description going north on 9W, and when the vehicle would not stop, a high-speed chase followed that ended with a crash in the City of Poughkeepsie.
“Random gun violence on our city streets simply cannot be tolerated,” Hoovler said. “The heroic work that police officers perform every day to protect us from gun violence is epitomized by the actions of the Town of Newburgh Police Officer whose quick thinking resulted in this car being stopped.”
Bail was set for Williams and Johnson at $1,000,000 or $2,000,00 bond. McPhee is being held on $200,000 cash or bond. Selman posted $150,000.
All four are scheduled to appear in court on March 27.
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