Victor Kingsley, a Brooklyn resident, was arrested and charged today with using a weapon of mass destruction that killed a Queens civilian in July 2017 — an attack investigators say was aimed at NYPD officers. The explosive device, built and deployed by Kingsley, detonated outside a Queens residence where he believed one of his targeted officers lived. Instead, the blast killed the building’s owner, an innocent man who opened the package thinking it was harmless. Kingsley is also charged with the unlawful transportation of explosive materials.
The complaint, unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, alleges Kingsley spent years plotting revenge against officers from an NYPD unit that arrested him in January 2014. Although the case against him was later dismissed, Kingsley never let go. He conducted online searches, made phone calls, and stalked the addresses of officers he blamed. From his Brooklyn home, he ordered bomb components through Amazon, assembling an improvised explosive device designed to send a message of terror.
On July 28, 2017, Kingsley placed the bomb outside the Queens home. He got the address wrong. The intended target wasn’t there. The victim, the property owner, picked up the package and triggered the explosion. He died from his injuries. According to authorities, the device was powerful enough to maim or kill anyone nearby — a calculated act of violence masked as a package delivery.
But Kingsley didn’t stop. Investigators found Amazon purchase records showing he continued to buy explosive materials as recently as earlier this month. The evidence paints a picture of a man committed to a campaign of vengeance, stockpiling parts and refining his methods while staying off the radar for years. His effort to remain invisible failed thanks to a grueling, years-long investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and NYPD.
“As alleged in the complaint, Kingsley used an improvised explosive device in an attempt to target an NYPD officer, and he killed an innocent civilian in the process,” said United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue. “This Office and our law enforcement partners will use every tool at our disposal to bring to justice those who endanger the community through acts of senseless violence.” Donoghue credited the JTTF, NYPD, and Queens County District Attorney’s Office for their relentless work.
Kingsley is scheduled to appear tomorrow afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon in Brooklyn federal court. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The charges are allegations; Victor C. Kingsley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Margaret Lee, with support from Trial Attorney Jacqueline L. Barkett of the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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