Manhattan's District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. has just announced the conviction of Avery Dunning, 37, for an East Harlem shooting incident that dates back to February 2023. This conviction follows a trial where a New York Supreme Court jury found Dunning guilty on charges that include Attempted Murder, Assault, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. According to an article published by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Dunning is set to be sentenced on July 1.
The violent episode unspooled when Dunning's neighbor, a 41-year-old woman, confronted him over suspicions of domestic abuse against his girlfriend. After a verbal altercation escalated to a physical fight involving the neighbor and her husband, Dunning discharged his firearm, striking the woman multiple times as she attempted to retreat to safety into her apartment. "A jury of his peers determined that Dunning's extremely violent conduct could have been fatal," District Attorney Bragg said, acknowledging the gravity of the attack and the neighbor's subsequent life-altering injuries. The victim's fortitude, despite enduring critical conditions and now living with constant medical care, stands as a stark reminder of the perpetual impact of gun violence, as per the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Following the incident, Dunning managed to initially evade law enforcement, but was later apprehended in December 2023. According to court documents, he attempted to conceal his identity by providing police with a fake name and bearing a forged identification card. The neighbor, after months in critical care, has been left with severe physical trauma, unable to move the left side of her body.
The investigation leading up to Dunning's capture was conducted with commendable diligence by the NYPD's Detectives Gerard Beyrodt and Paul Hoppinthal, among others. In the violent confrontation that upended a neighborhood, the husband's desperate cry as he realized Dunning had a gun, to subsequently run to the rescue of his wife, paints a chilling picture of the affair. Assistant District Attorneys Andrea Kimmel and Kelly Keating prosecuted the case, providing what Bragg described as "a strong and compelling case," as noted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
