Richard Dixon was sentenced to 25 years to life after opening fire on two men and fatally shooting his own accomplice in the crossfire
NEED TO KNOW
- Richard Dixon was sentenced to 25 years to life, plus two consecutive 15-year sentences, for killing his accomplice and injuring two others
- The 2022 parking lot shootout involved military-grade and .40-caliber weapons and left all participants injured or dead
- Investigators used cellphone records and DNA evidence to link Dixon to the crime despite his initial false reports
More than four years after opening fire on two people in a parking lot but killing his own accomplice instead, a man convicted of second-degree murder was sentenced this week.
On June 19, 2022, Richard Dixon opened fire on two individuals using an AR-style assault weapon, according to a release from the Queens County District Attorney in New York City.
The Queens resident, 35, shot the pair multiple times, but it was ultimately his accomplice, 38-year-old Raymond Francis, who got caught in the crossfire.
Dixon and Francis targeted the two intended victims as they waited by their car in a parking lot after leaving a party in Ozone Park, Queens.
Dixon seriously injured one target by shooting him in the jaw and back, while the other opened fire in return after being struck in the leg, per the release. In an attempt to shoot the second intended victim, Dixon began shooting again, but his bullets also hit Francis. While Dixon fled the parking lot in a car registered to his wife, Francis was found unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Dixon was placed under investigation after seeking treatment for several gunshot wounds at a Nassau County hospital. Dixon falsely claimed he had been shot in Baisley Pond Park, but the NYPD found no evidence that a shooting had occurred there.
In a later interview, Dixon adjusted his story to claim that he had been shot in Ozone Park, where the known shooting had taken place. Investigators linked Dixon to Francis’ killing and the attempted killings through cellphone records, evidence from his car as well as DNA found on a backpack he left at the scene.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
In May, Dixon was found guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree.
On Tuesday, July 14, Dixon was sentenced to 25 years to life for murder, plus two consecutive 15-year sentences for the attempted murder counts.
“Richard Dixon used a military-grade assault weapon to turn a public parking lot in Ozone Park into a genuine war zone,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said of the case. Katz added that he would serve his sentence as a consequence of “the extreme act of violence he visited upon this county, and for the devastation he has inflicted on multiple families.”
Read the full article here
