Photo Courtesy of NYPD
Thurston allegedly shot Capers in the abdomen.
By Forum Staff
A Hollis man has been charged in the shooting of a former student athlete outside a deli in Laurelton last Monday afternoon, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Jeffrey Thurston, 27, has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was remanded into custody and ordered to return to court on Aug. 31.
According to the complaint, around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27, Thurston was inside a deli on the corner of Springfield Boulevard and 136th Avenue when Malachi Capers, 20, walked into the store and bumped into Thurston. The defendant pushed Capers and then allegedly threw a punch. Capers, who played defensive end for SUNY Buffalo, chased Thurston out of the store and tackled him on the sidewalk.
Video surveillance from both inside the deli and outside on the sidewalk shows the fight that ensued. On the video the two men wrestled on the ground outside. When both were on their feet again, Thurston allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot into Capers abdomen.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Thurston fled the scene, but was apprehended last Wednesday by the Regional Fugitive Task Force of the City Police Department.
Thurston is also charged in a second complaint with burglary, robbery, and assault for allegedly striking an estranged girlfriend and taking her cell phone on April 4. In a third criminal complaint, Thurston is charged with attempted assault for allegedly firing at an occupied vehicle on July 8.
If convicted, Thurston faces up to 25 years in prison on the shooting complaint alone.
