Two Bronx Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Non-Fatal Shooting of Innocent Bystander
In a shocking case of callous disregard for human life, Kevin Sterling, a/k/a ‘Lion,’ 38, and Alonzo Vernon, a/k/a ‘Zoe,’ 39, both of the Bronx, New York, have been sentenced to 37 and 35 years in prison, respectively, for the non-fatal shooting of an innocent bystander in May 2016.
According to the trial testimony and evidence presented in Manhattan federal court, Sterling and Vernon led a drug trafficking organization that brought crack cocaine and heroin from the Bronx to Ithaca, New York, to be sold at prices higher than the drugs would sell for in the Bronx.
The two men recruited young men in the Bronx to sell drugs for them in Ithaca and provided drugs to their workers and collected their drug proceeds. However, when one of their workers, identified as Victim-1, refused to pay a drug debt, Sterling and Vernon hunted him down and shot at him without regard for his life or the lives of the innocent people nearby.
On the night of May 31, 2016, Sterling saw Victim-1 on the street and, along with Vernon, followed him to the area of 219th Street and Willett Avenue in the Bronx in a car driven by Vernon. Victim-1 was on a porch with a group of friends, and next door, a young woman, identified as Victim-2, was outside with her friends. Sterling exited the car and pointed a gun at one of the group, shouting ‘where’s Melo?’ – the street name used by Victim-1 – and shot once at Victim-1, missing him and hitting Victim-2 in the elbow instead.
For their crimes, Sterling and Vernon were each convicted after trial of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams and more of crack cocaine and 100 grams and more of heroin; discharging a firearm in connection with that drug trafficking crime, and aiding and abetting the same; and being felons in possession of ammunition. In addition to their prison terms, Sterling and Vernon were each sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the City of Ithaca Police Department, and the Cornell University Police Department for their assistance. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Drew Skinner and Justina Geraci are in charge of the case.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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