QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 23, 2014 Page 34
SQ page 34
Timoshenko’s killer gets more jail time Bostic gets 25 to life for shooting one day before he murdered cop Mayor de Blasio addresses elected officials, community leaders and parents in Woodside with Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, in light jacket, and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, far PHOTO COURTESY BOROUGH PRESIDENT’S OFFICE right.
De Blasio demands safer city streets Mayor announces initiative to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2024 by Tess McRae
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Associate Editor
During one of his first visits to Queens since entering office, Mayor de Blasio announced his “Vision Zero” initiative to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the city to zero within 10 years. The project was announced just days before a study reported Queens having the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the city. “This will be a top-to-bottom effort to take on dangerous streets and dangerous driving,” de Blasio said at a Jan. 15 press conference in Woodside. “We aren’t going to wait and lose a son, a daughter, a parent or a grandparent in another senseless and painful tragedy. Our top responsibility is protecting the health and safety of our people. From tougher enforcement to more safely designed streets and stronger laws, we’ll confront this problem from every side, and it starts today.” The announcement was held near the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 61st Street, the corner where 8-year-old Noshat Nahian was struck and killed by a tractor trailer in the crosswalk while walking to school with his sister in December. De Blasio charged the NYPD, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Taxi & Limousine Commission with developing a comprehensive road map to eliminate deadly crashes. So far in 2014, 11 people have been killed in traffic in the city; seven were pedestrians. “Our job is to save lives,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. “We will be just as aggressive in preventing a deadly crash
on our streets as we are in preventing a deadly shooting. Our police are going to enforce the laws on our streets consistently and effectively. This is going to be central to our work to keep New Yorkers safe. We will put the personnel and resources in place to protect New Yorkers.” Under the mayor’s initiative, the working group must report to him by Feb. 15 with concrete plans to dedicate sufficient NYPD resources and personnel to deter dangerous behavior — especially speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians — improve at least 50 dangerous corridors annually, expand the number of 20-mile-per-hour zones across the city and pursue a traffic safety agenda which he said must include a home rule on traffic cameras, so New York City can deploy red light and speed enforcement cameras. Queens elected officials praised de Blasio for his “Vision Zero” project. “My mother was killed by a drunk driver, so I take traffic safety issues very personally,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said. “That’s why I am so impressed with the mayor’s ‘Vision Zero’ plan and am optimistic that its goal of reducing the number of traffic deaths to zero will become a welcome reality.” Transportation Alternatives, an activist group, was also happy with the plan. “It’s time to put a stop to this epidemic,” Executive Director Paul Steely White said. “Transportation Alternatives is ready to work with Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bratton, incoming DOT Commissioner Trottenberg and families affected by traffic violence to support this partnership, because all New Yorkers have the right to Q safe streets.”
Less than 24 hours before he murdered Officer Herman Yan, were on patrol in BrookNYPD Officer Russel Timoshenko in 2007, lyn’s 71st Precinct when they pulled over an Dexter Bostic shot a man on a Jamaica street SUV with plates that were reported stolen. Timoshenko, 23, was approaching on the corner and then robbed him of his car keys, passenger side of the SUV when Bostic jewelry and $1,800. Last Wednesday, Bostic, of Far Rockaway, emerged and shot him in the face and throat. got 25 years to life for the street corner Yan, on the driver’s side, was struck in the chest and one arm, but was saved by his bulshooting. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory letproof vest and was able to return fire while Lasak ordered the sentence to run consecu- radioing for help. Timoshenko was on life support for five tively to the life without parole term Bostic days without regaining consciousness when already is serving for killing Timoshenko. he d ied at K i ngs “Today’s sentence Cou nt y Hospit al ensures that the Center. defendant — a danfamgerous predator who dangerous predator ... ilyTimoshenko’s emigrated to the has been convicted of United States from shooting an unarmed will spend the rest Belarus when he was man and an on-duty of his life in prison 9, and lived on Staten police officer within Island. He had been 24 hours — will and never again see with the NYPD for 18 spend the rest of his months. life in prison and the light of day.” Bostic and Ellis never again see the — DA Richard Brown on Dexter Bostic were arrested on the light of day,” Queens run in Pennsylvania D ist r ict At t or ney four days later, with Richard Brown said the latter being returned to New York wearing in a statement issued by his office. Bostic in July was convicted of second- the slain officer’s handcuffs. The driver of the SUV, Lee Woods, was degree attempted murder, two counts each of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, sec- arrested in Queens. Ellis was acquitted in Timoshenko’s murond-degree criminal possession of a weapon and a single count of fifth-degree criminal der and of wounding Yan, though he was possession of stolen property following a four- given 15 years on related weapons charges. Lasak in July sentenced Ellis to 25 years week trial. According to trial testimony, Carl Field, for his conviction in the attack on Field, then 20, was standing at the intersection of which he will not begin serving until he conSutphin Boulevard and 109th Drive at about 5 cludes his sentence on the weapons charges. Woods, following a mistrial, was convicted p.m. on July 8 when Bostic and Robert Ellis drove up. Field attempted to run but fell when in 2009 and received a life sentence with no he was shot in one leg. Bostic forced the chance for parole. Yan and Timoshenko both were awarded wounded man to surrender his valuables the NYPD’s Medal of Honor and promoted to before fleeing. Q On July 9, Timoshenko and his partner, the rank of detective.
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HWQ411B continued from page 10 Transportation warned the project would commence in 2011. That, too, turned out not to be the case. And now Kamph said he hasn’t heard from DDC in months and doesn’t know why it is still on hold. At the core of the problem, according to DDC, is the acquisition of land needed to do the work. More than 600 parcels of land were needed to be acquired by the city in order for the project to be done. In a statement, the agency said that process is almost done and the project may move
forward this year “The property-acquisition process can be complex and time-consuming, particularly when hundreds of parcels are involved,” the DDC statement read. “Fortunately, the project’s design is complete and we are in the final stages of property acquisition. If all goes well, we expect to bid the project in the spring and begin construction in early fall.” But Kamph is skeptical. He noted that many residents have put off work, such as repairs to sidewalks, for years and somet i mes decades because of the project. “I’ve heard this before,” he said. “I’ll Q believe it when I see it.”