QUEENS, NY — A Queens man convicted of shooting an NYPD officer during a foot pursuit in Jamaica last year has been sentenced to 39 years to life in prison, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today.
Devin Spraggins, 24, was sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder after a jury found him guilty last month of multiple charges, including attempted murder in the first degree, aggravated assault of a police officer, and criminal possession of a weapon. The charges stem from an April 2023 incident where Spraggins shot NYPD Detective Brett Boller in the line of duty.
The altercation began on April 5, 2023, when Spraggins punched a fellow passenger on an MTA bus near 161st Street on Jamaica Avenue. Officers Boller and Anthony Rock, both rookie officers on patrol in the Jamaica business district, responded to the incident. After a brief confrontation, Spraggins fled, leading to a foot pursuit during which he turned and shot Officer Boller at close range, hitting his femoral artery and shattering his hip.
According to trial testimony, Spraggins attempted to fire a second shot at the downed officer, but his gun malfunctioned due to a dropped magazine. He then aimed the weapon at Officer Rock before fleeing into a nearby parking garage. Spraggins later escaped the area in a Lyft vehicle, leading police on a multi-borough search before his eventual arrest in the Bronx.
District Attorney Katz highlighted the severity of the crime, stating, “This defendant used an illegal firearm to shoot a police officer and attempted to execute him in broad daylight. A jury has spoken, and this defendant has now been sentenced to prison.”
Officer Boller, 22 at the time of the shooting, survived after undergoing emergency surgery and enduring months of recovery. Officer Rock, 21 at the time, was unharmed.