A Bronx man has recently been handed a 12-year prison sentence for his role in a broad daylight shooting on Walton Avenue. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the sentence for Kenny Urbaez, 38, confirming that he will also be under five years of post-release supervision for second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. According to the press release from the Bronx District Attorney's Office, the incident did not result in injuries, which occurred in Fordham Heights at 11 in the morning.
Urbaez, a resident of 2195 Grand Concourse in the Bronx, was subject to stricter sentencing as a predicate felony offender, a designation that New York State reserves for those with a prior felony conviction within a decade of a new felony. Caught after the event, Senior Investigative Counsel Joshua Gradinger and Assistant District Attorney Tyler Lee Gibson, prosecuted the case with the aid of the Public Integrity Bureau's Trial Preparation Assistant Ivan Reyes.
The conviction stems from an event on May 25, 2018, when Urbaez, along with at least two other men who remain unapprehended, lay in wait for their intended target. The chase ensued, with Urbaez firing a 9mm semi-automatic pistol twice at the man they targeted. The sentence following Urbaez's February 26, jury trial verdict was handed down by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack, as detailed by the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
The Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Cassie Perez and Deputy Chief Sarah Clements, alongside Denise Kodjo, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and division chief Wanda Perez-Maldonado, were all thanked for their contributions to the case. Reflecting on the sentencing, District Attorney Clark stated, “The defendant chased a man and fired two shots at him as he ran for his life on Walton Avenue.” The Bronx District Attorney's Office expressed relief that the brazen mid-morning shooting did not escalate to more tragic outcomes.
