Gunshots rang out on a Mount Vernon street in August 2015 as the NYPD investigated a reported illegal firearms operation. During the shootout, a 61-year-old victim was struck by a stray bullet and would eventually die from his wounds at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.
Smothers was acquitted of a murder charge in July, but was found guilty of second-degree robbery in Westchester County Court. He was sentenced to the maximum term of 15 years.
According to reports, an undercover NYPD officer met with the illegal gun dealer in the Bronx before driving to Mount Vernon and demanding cash. Smothers then made off with an undisclosed amount of money and a chase ensued when officers notified backup crews.
Smothers, a New Jersey native, pointed his weapon at officers and was struck three times. His victim, who was standing behind him, was fatally shot. Bronx resident Jeffrey Aristy, 30, was the target of the sting operation, and was also arrested on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal sale of firearms after selling more than two dozen illegal guns to undercover officers.
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