Guilty in B’klyn shoot of G-man
A reputed drug-dealing gangbanger was convicted Wednesday in the ambush shooting of an FBI agent wounded while working a Brooklyn stakeout.
Alleged Crips member Ronell Watson was found guilty of the attempted murder of agent Christopher Harper last December, with the Brooklyn federal jury also convicting the defendant of assault of a federal agent and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. He faces up to life in prison at sentencing.
Harper, after learning of the convictions, pumped his fists and mouthed the word
“Yes” in a courthouse elevator. His wife was crying after the verdicts were delivered.
The couple was sharing a FaceTime call on Dec. 8, 2018, when Watson opened fire on the FBI agent. Harper was parked in an unmarked Nissan Maxima outside the Canarsie home of alleged drug dealer Watson, 31, on an investigation unrelated to the Brooklyn man.
“We’re grateful for the jury’s verdict,” said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue, who personally prosecuted the case. “Every day, thousands of men and women put on badges and vests to protect this city, and the least we can do is protect them when they’re targeted.”
Several jurors were crying as the judge thanked the panel for its service after the two-week trial concluded.
Watson initially appeared panicked when summoned to the courtroom, but showed little emotion as the guilty verdicts were read in succession. His relatives left the courtroom in tears, declining to comment on the jury’s decision.
Defense attorney Michelle Gelernt declined to comment on the verdict. Security video of the shooting showed Harper sitting in his parked vehicle about 3:20 p.m. Watson (photo) is visible driving the wrong way down the one-way street, jumping from his BMW and heading toward the agent with one hand tucked inside his hooded sweatshirt. As Harper tries to move his car, Watson begins blasting away — running alongside the vehicle and squeezing off gunshots.
The FBI agent returned fire, hitting Watson in the hand. Harper testified that he told his wife “somebody shady is walking up to my car” before the shooting started.
Body camera footage captured the bleeding Harper telling NYPD officers that he was in bad shape after taking a bullet to the back.
“Where’s the f——-g [ambulance]?” he asked. “No exit. The bullet’s in me. I’m not doing well. … Just take me to the closest hospital, I’m begging you!”