DA pushed by community to drop ‘unjust’ charges against beloved NYC liquor store owner who shot would-be robber
NY Post
Supporters are pushing the district attorney to drop charges against a liquor store owner who shot a would-be thief last week — claiming the “unjust” rap threatens “his livelihood and freedom.”
A Change.org petition — which has received about 1,900 signatures since it was launched on Saturday — called merchant-turned-suspect Franisco Valerio, 53, a “beloved member of our Ridgewood and Brooklyn community.
“If these charges are not dropped, he will stand trial, lose his business and potentially go to jail,” Jana Vargas-Lora, the petition’s organizer, wrote. “We need 1,000 signatures to show our support and ask for these charges to be dismissed.”
There’s no indication Queens DA Melinda Katz will back off the charges.
“We will follow the evidence where it leads us and litigate this case, and every other, in a court of law,” a spokesperson for Katz told The Post.
Valerio, a father of two, is facing seven years in prison after shooting Kevin Pullutasi, 20, who along with an accomplice tried to steal bottles of liquor at Franja Wines and Liquors in Ridgewood on Monday night.
