NEW YORK, NY — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Alexis Morillo, 40, of the Bronx, has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at an off-duty NYPD detective on the Long Island Expressway in what appears to be a road rage incident.
Morillo faces a six-count indictment including attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, reckless driving, and unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison. Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino ordered Morillo to return to court on November 20.
The incident occurred on September 17 at around 12:20 a.m. The off-duty detective was driving eastbound near the Cross Island Parkway when he passed Morillo’s white Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV. According to the charges, Morillo pulled alongside the detective’s vehicle and began yelling. Moments later, the detective saw a muzzle flash and a bullet struck the passenger side of his car.
The detective called 911, reporting Morillo’s license plate number, and followed the SUV until losing sight of it near the Horace Harding Expressway. Police later found a bullet hole in the detective’s car and recovered a deformed bullet fragment. Morillo’s vehicle was found abandoned in Astoria. Records show that Morillo subsequently called an Uber to travel from Astoria to the Bronx.
Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale is prosecuting the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney.