Dramatic police bodycamera footage shown to jurors on Tuesday captured the moments after an FBI agent was shot during an undercover mission in Brooklyn in December.
FBI special agent Christopher Harper was shot in the back of the shoulder, allegedly by suspected Crips gangmember Ronell Watson, who is now on trial for his attempted murder.
‘I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die,’ Harper can be heard telling responding New York Police Department members.
Harper is expected to testify in the trial after surviving a collapsed lung, a broken rib, and broken shoulder blade, the New York Post reported.
The legal team for Watson denied he was trying to murder Harper.
Harper was FaceTiming with his wife, Jessica Lasek, when he was shot during what prosecutors are calling an ‘attempted execution’ while he was on a stakeout in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn on December 8.
Lasek took the stand early on Tuesday and recounted the harrowing ordeal, from her perspective.
‘I heard a muffled voice, and then the next thing I heard was loud popping,’ Lasek said. Her voice cracked as she recalled hearing husband screaming, ‘I’m shot, I’m shot, call 911,’ moments after he dropped his phone.
The incident was caught on surveillance cameras as well, taking place near near East 92nd Street and Avenue N.
Dramatic police bodycamera footage shown to jurors on Tuesday captured the moments after FBI special agent Christopher Harper was shot in the back of the shoulder while undercover in Brooklyn in December. Suspected Crips gangmember Ronell Watson (pictured) is now on trial for his attempted murder
The video shows Harper telling NYPD, including Officer Andre Morris who also testified at trial, ‘I’m not doing well,’ as they reassure him he will live.
‘I need both my phones,’ Harper tells an officer, as he gets up and tries to get to his belongings. ‘I’m gonna die, I have a son.’
‘You’re not gonna die, just sit down,’ an officer tells Harper.
‘It’s really starting to hurt,’ Harper tells police. ‘Please, just take me to the closest hospital, I’m begging you.’
The incident was caught on surveillance cameras as well, taking place near near East 92nd Street and Avenue N
The video showed Harper bleeding through his red sweatshirt while he gives a description of his alleged shooter to NYPD. Officers who responded to the scene are shown
The officer can then be heard telling others: ‘He got one round in the shoulder. A black BMW pulled up on him.’ Harper can be heard saying in the video, ‘No exit, the bullet’s in me’ and pleading for officers to take him to a hospital
The officer can then be heard telling others: ‘He got one round in the shoulder. A black BMW pulled up on him.’
Harper can be heard saying in the video, ‘No exit, the bullet’s in me.’
The video showed Harper bleeding through his red sweatshirt while he gives a description of his alleged shooter to NYPD.
On the stand, Morris pointed out the bullet wound in Harper’s back to the jury.
Watson’s defense attorney Benjamin Yaster said his client ‘isn’t a murderer or an assassin.’
Yaster argued in opening statements that Watson panicked when a car he didn’t recognized with tinted windows moved toward him at a high speed.
‘Does it make sense that Ronell Watson would attempt to murder someone in front of his home, which was decorated for Christmas and outfitted with his mother’s security cameras?’ Yaster asked before the jury.
The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue himself, rather than by an assistant attorney.
If convicted, Watson could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
The legal team for Watson denied he was trying to murder Harper. The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue himself, rather than by an assistant attorney. If convicted, Watson could be sentenced to up to life in prison. The scene is shown