Westchester District Attorney Rocah Announces Successful Prosecutions of Gun Crimes and Shootings in 2024

In 2024, the Office prosecuted more than 185 defendants for felony gun charges; approximately 320 illegal firearms were seized in the County

December 16, 2024

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Citing her commitment to prioritizing gun safety and holding offenders of gun violence and gun trafficking accountable, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah today announced significant outcomes for gun crimes prosecuted by her Office in 2024, and positive results from the implementation of her county-wide gun safety agenda since taking office in 2021.

DA Rocah said: “Fighting the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our country starts right here in our local communities. My Office has made good on our promise to vigorously pursue violent offenders responsible for shootings and gun trafficking, including of ghost guns. Thanks to our strong partnerships with law enforcement, we have responded with large-scale search warrants and aggressive investigations that have led to the seizure of hundreds of illegal firearms, and the removal of dangerous individuals from our communities. Together, we have enforced a firm message that there will be serious consequences for gun crimes in Westchester County.”

People v. Stephen Escoffery - A jury on Dec. 6 found the defendant guilty of weapons possession and reckless endangerment charges in connection to a December 2022 road rage-fueled shooting at another motorist on the I-95. He awaits sentencing of a range of three-and-a-half to 15 years in state prison.
People v. Phillip Ferrell - Following a four-week trial, a jury on Nov. 22 found the defendant guilty of manslaughter in the first degree for the March 2023 death of 14-year-old Zaire Fernandez in Mount Vernon by providing a 9mm pistol to his 21-year-old stepson, Tyrese Coghiel, to carry out the shooting. Coghiel was also convicted for acting in concert in the fatal shooting. Both defendants await sentencing.
People v. Brandon Brois - After a five-week trial, a jury in October returned guilty verdicts convicting the defendant for possession of an arsenal of illegal firearms, including two assault weapons, a machine gun, two rifles, two pistols and a shotgun. They are among illegal firearms seized in January 2022 from the Armonk home where the defendant resided with his father and mother, both of whom were also prosecuted in this case. The defendant awaits sentencing of a range of seven to 15 years in state prison.
People v. Bryan Martinez - The defendant pleaded guilty in October to attempted murder in the second degree for the November 2023 shooting of an off-duty NYPD officer in Yonkers. He awaits a promised sentence of 10 years in state prison.
People v. Jianqiao Lu - Following a 113-count felony indictment charging him with illegally possessing more than a dozen guns, including assault weapons, and 86 high-capacity magazines in his Hastings-on-Hudson home, the defendant pleaded guilty in August. He faces a minimum of five years to a maximum of 10 years in state prison and awaits sentencing.
People v. Daquann Johnson and Deiandre Phillips - Following a four-week trial, a jury found the brothers guilty of the January 2023 attempted murder of a Yonkers man they pistol-whipped and shot in the back. They were sentenced in May to a combined 28 years in state prison.
People v. Percell Ross Blakely - The defendant, who had prior felony convictions, pleaded guilty in February to murder in the first degree for the 2021 shooting death of a New Rochelle cab driver and was sentenced in April to 20 years to life in state prison.
People v. Netaly Pena-Camilo, Jose Gregorio Olivo-Feliz, Pedro Junior Olivo-Feliz – - The three defendants were sentenced in March to a combined 31 years in state prison for selling more than 30 ghost guns that they trafficked from Washington, D.C. to Yonkers in 2022. This prosecution was a result of a multi-agency investigation that shut down an “Iron Pipeline” of illegal firearms flowing into New York state.
People v. Jose Valle - The defendant, who had prior felony convictions, was sentenced in February to seven years in state prison for illegal possession of a 9mm pistol that police found on him after he attempted to flee from a routine traffic stop in December 2022.
People v. Jonathan Planas - After eluding police for nearly a year following the 2020 fatal shooting of Alvaro Vigueras Medina on Lawrence Street in Yonkers, the defendant was sentenced in February to 22 years in state prison. He pleaded guilty in December 2023 to manslaughter in the first degree.
People v. Emanuel Valentin Perez - The defendant, who pleaded guilty in August 2023 to manslaughter and assault, was sentenced in January to 10 years in state prison for the 2021 shooting death of 32-year-old Manuel Salazar, a Sleepy Hollow father of two.

These outcomes are a direct result of key efforts implemented by the District Attorney such as the creation of a Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau staffed by senior prosecutors dedicated to investigations and prosecutions of shootings, firearm possession and trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and organized criminal conduct in the county.

In coordination with the Attorney General’s Office and city police departments, the Office hosted no-questions-asked community gun buybacks, collecting hundreds of firearms surrendered by the public in exchange for gift cards. In 2024, 178 firearms were collected in New Rochelle and Peekskill.
The Office trained law enforcement, school superintendents and administrators, and healthcare providers on New York state’s expanded red flag gun laws, including the provisions enacted in 2022, which enabled school nurses and medical professionals to file Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). With the participation of Southern Westchester BOCES, the Office has trained every single public school district superintendent in Westchester County. The Office also hosted trainings at medical facilities including St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison.
Working with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the Office rolled out safe firearm storage practices with school PTAs to educate families and students.

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