Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., has confirmed the sentencing of 37-year-old Avery Dunning to a 25-year prison term for a 2023 shooting in an East Harlem apartment building. On June 4, a New York Supreme Court jury convicted Dunning on charges that included Attempted Murder, Assault, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. According to the Manhattan DA's office, Dunning shot his neighbor, a 41-year-old woman, leaving her partially paralyzed.
"Avery Dunning will serve a prison sentence following his conviction at trial for the callous shooting of a woman, who remains paralyzed and under extensive care," DA Bragg stated, as reported by the Manhattan DA's website. The victim had confronted Dunning after suspecting him of domestic violence against his girlfriend, the situation escalated into a physical altercation that ended with Dunning firing multiple shots at her as she attempted to retreat into her apartment.
Court documents reveal that on the morning of February 22, 2023, Dunning's neighbor dialed 911 after reportedly overhearing a domestic incident. The altercation involved Dunning, the neighbor, and her husband. During the confrontation, the woman's husband pushed Dunning into a stairwell, where Dunning then retrieved a firearm and fired, seriously injuring the woman.
The attack resulted in the neighbor sustaining critical injuries, necessitating months of hospitalization followed by ongoing rehabilitation. She now suffers from irreversible paralysis on her left side. After the incident, Dunning fled the scene, but was later apprehended in December 2023 after initially evading capture and providing a forged ID to law enforcement.
The prosecution of this case was managed by Assistant D.A.s Andrea Kimmel and Kelly Keating. They were supervised by Deputy Chiefs of Trial Bureau 60, Annie Siegel and Harrison Schweiloch, Charles Whitt, and Assistant D.A. and Executive D.A. Lisa DelPizzo. Contributions also came from Trial Preparation Assistants and the Survivor Services Bureau.
The NYPD received acknowledgment from DA Bragg for their involvement in the case, singling out Detectives Gerard Beyrodt and Paul Hoppinthal, Police Service Area 5, the 25th Precinct, and the NYPD Warrants Squad.
