Cops accused a Kew Gardens man of shooting his girlfriend in the head and then lying about it in an attempt to save her, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Steven Diaz, 30, was handed charges attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of marijuana Monday after police alleged he shot his 22-year-old girlfriend Amanda Rivera with a 9mm handgun amid a domestic dispute, Brown said. He then drummed up a fake scenario that included three masked robbers leading to the gunfire after driving Rivera to nearby Jamaica Hospital.
“The defendant is accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head and causing severe damage to her brain,” Brown said. “The young victim is presently hospitalized in critical [condition]. However, if her condition changes and she does not survive, the charges will be upgraded.”
Brown said the shooting occurred sometime between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 .m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 inside the couple’s thid-floor apartment on 127th Street. Diaz tried losing the gun by dumping it down a sewer before driving the woman to the hospital, the DA said.
To make matters worse, police with the 102nd Precinct also found 10 pounds of pot inside the apartment, Brown said.
If convicted, Diaz faces up to 25 years in prison, according to the district attorney.
By Phil Corso
