By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday that Rayvon Phillip has been charged in the murder of 18-year-old Akim Cisse last month outside a fast-food restaurant along South Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens.
Phillip, a reputed gang member who calls Jamaica home, was arraigned Thursday on charges of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Photo Courtesy of DA Katz
DA Katz called it “a senseless act of gun violence.”
According to the charges, on Sept. 27, between 10:15 and 10:20 p.m., video surveillance footage shows Phillip outside a McDonald’s on South Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens. A car is seen on video driving by the restaurant with four men inside, including Cisse. As the car drove past, Phillip allegedly pointed a gun and shot at the vehicle approximately three times.
Cisse, who was seated in the passenger seat of the car, sustained a single gunshot to the back of the head. He was rushed to an area hospital where he lost brain function and died hours later.
“This was a completely senseless act of gun violence, and we will aggressively investigate and prosecute those that destabilize our communities,” Katz said.
If convicted of the top count, Phillip faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
