A Staten Island man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his guilty plea to attempted murder. Mark Munoz, 37, admitted to opening fire on a taxi on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, critically injuring a pregnant passenger with a gunshot to the head.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez relayed the gravity of the crime, stating, "This was a terrifying and calculated act of violence carried out in the middle of the day on one of the city’s busiest highways." Munoz's actions displayed "a complete disregard for human life" as he endangered the lives of the pregnant woman, an accompanying male victim, and other commuters. The sentencing occurred yesterday, with Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jane Tully presiding over the conclusion of the case, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The incident is marked by alarming details. On June 26, 2023, a 21-year-old pregnant woman and her 30-year-old companion entered a taxi in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. Their ride turned violent when Munoz, allegedly involved in a prior conflict with the male passenger, followed them onto the expressway. He fired several rounds at the vehicle, one of which struck the woman in the head, while another became lodged in the door near the man.
Quick action from the taxi driver, who promptly transported the victims to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, ensured that the woman and her unborn child survived the ordeal. The NYPD's swift cooperation with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office led to Munoz's arrest on Staten Island several weeks after the incident. The prosecution's case included findings from the DA's Digital Evidence Lab, where Intelligence Analysts Anna Kharitanova and Kelly Crawford contributed to tracking Munoz’s movements following the incident, including time spent at a Staten Island car wash after the shooting.
Assistant District Attorneys Robert Andrea and Natalie Riether of the DA’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Douglas Marquez and Kin Ng. After the conviction, District Attorney Gonzalez stated that the office remains focused on holding individuals accountable and continuing legal proceedings on behalf of victims.
