Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Arrest of Bronx Man in Connection with Home Invasion Robbery and Police Officer Shooting
Two Others Also Charged In Connection With The Incident
PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, DELANO A. REID, the Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge of the New York Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF
), and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (NYPD
), announced that DARREN MORRIS was arrested yesterday on robbery and gun possession charges. MICHAEL CAMPBELL and ALPHONSO CAMPBELL were previously charged in connection with the same incident. MICHAEL CAMPBELL was arrested on September 26, 2011, and presented on September 27, 2011, before United States Magistrate Judge THEODORE H. KATZ in Manhattan federal court. ALPHONSO CAMPBELL remains at large.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: As alleged, the only thing between the bullets from Darren Morris’s gun and the officer pursuing him was luck. Thankfully, the officer is fine, and Morris and his co-defendant are behind bars. We will stand together with our law enforcement partners and prosecute people for the crimes they commit and the added potential for harm they create when they flee law enforcement.
ATF Acting Special Agent-in-Charge DELANO A. REID said: This arrest reinforces ATF’s commitment to Project Triggerlock which is a valuable tool to law enforcement. Implemented over a decade ago, we use the program to federally target and remove armed, violent criminals from the streets who might have slipped through a state's legal system. The federal penalties are often more severe than the states and we will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement, and prosecutorial partners to ensure the project is utilized to its fullest intent.
NYPD Commissioner RAYMOND W. KELLY said: This was an important case because it brings to justice an assailant who jeopardized the life of a New York City Police Officer. When that happens it is an attack not just on the officer himself, but on society.
According to a Complaint previously unsealed in Manhattan federal court: MORRIS, MICHAEL CAMPBELL, and ALPHONSO CAMPBELL are alleged to have committed a home invasion robbery in the Bronx, targeting suspected dealers of marijuana and marijuana proceeds. During the robbery, MORRIS struck one of the victims in the head with a gun, and the gun discharged one round. While fleeing from the robbery, MORRIS fired several shots at a police officer who was pursuing him.
MORRIS, 27, of the Bronx, New York, was arrested at the Westchester County Department of Corrections, where he was being held on a state parole violation. He has been charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using or possessing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. MORRIS was presented yesterday in Manhattan federal court before United States Magistrate Judge RONALD L. ELLIS.
MICHAEL CAMPBELL, 22, of the Bronx, New York, and ALPHONSO CAMPBELL, 20, of Montgomery County, Maryland, have each been charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of using or possessing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The charges against each defendant carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Mr. BHARARA praised the ATF and the NYPD for their work in this investigation.
The prosecution is being overseen by the Office’s Violent Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys CHRISTOPHER J. DiMASE and JESSICA A. MASELLA are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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