Photo Courtesy of Google
Thurston encountered the 20-year-old victim inside a deli on the corner of Springfield Boulevard and 136th Avenue.
By Forum Staff
A Laurelton man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for shooting a former student athlete outside a deli on Springfield Boulevard in July 2020, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
Jeffrey Thurston, 28, was also sentenced for a burglary related to a March 2020 incident involving an estranged girlfriend and her son, as well as an attempted assault for an unrelated shooting that occurred in July 2020, Katz said.
Thurston pleaded guilty in May to attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, four-counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, burglary in the first and second degree, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, three counts of attempted assault in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the charges, on July 27, 2020, around 4:30 p.m., Thurston encountered the 20-year-old victim inside a deli on the corner of Springfield Boulevard and 136th Avenue. The two men accidentally bumped into each other inside the store which led to punches being thrown. The victim, who was a defensive end for the SUNY Buffalo football team, chased the defendant out of the store and tackled him onto the sidewalk.
Photo Courtesy of DA Katz
DA Katz said that Thurston “has now been held accountable for displaying a blatant disregard for public safety on three separate occasions.”
The ensuing fight was captured on video surveillance and showed Thurston regain his footing and proceed to walk away from the victim. Then, Thurston suddenly turned around, pulled out a firearm and fired a single shot into the victim’s abdomen.
Thurston fled the scene but was apprehended two days later by the Regional Fugitive Task
Force of the City Police Department.
In addition, said DA Katz, in two separate incidents, Thurston broke into his estranged girlfriend’s home on March 13, 2020, at which time he displayed a knife and choked the woman’s 6-year-old son.
On July 8, 2020, Thurston fired a gun at a vehicle with passengers inside. No one was injured during that shooting.
“The defendant has now been held accountable for displaying a blatant disregard for public safety on three separate occasions,” Katz said.
