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JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) — New questions are being raised about criminal reform after an armed robbery led to a deadly police shootout in Queens on Tuesday night.
NYPD officers shot and killed 57-year-old Gary Worthy, who has a lengthy criminal past, and amid the chaos, an officer and an innocent bystander were also shot.
Worthy was on lifetime parole for firearms possession and had been arrested in seven crimes since receiving the lifetime parole status in 2021. He has a total of 17 prior arrests.
It all started when authorities say Worthy held up two stores – the Village Market and Grill at 164-01 Hillside Avenue and then a smoke shop at 92-18 Guy R Brewer Boulevard — firing a single shot with an illegal firearm during each of the robberies.
He is also suspect in three recent gunpoint robberies, with a warrant issued for his arrest last Thursday.
His last arrest was last Wednesday for possession of felony narcotics and resisting arrest. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.
Worthy was wanted for three additional gunpoint robberies at Queens businesses that occurred between Oct. 31 and Nov. 15. A single shot was fired during each of those robberies, with Worthy generally firing a round at the start of the robbery to gain compliance from the employees and customers.
In 2008, he was arrested for attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance and burglary. He served 12 years at Otisville Correctional Facility and was released on lifetime parole in November 2021.
In 1994, he was charged with murder and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
The NYPD officer shot Tuesday, Rich Wong, is a seven-year NYPD veteran, assigned to the 103rd Precinct. He is a neighborhood coordination officer. Wong was shot in the thigh and was released from the hospital Wednesday morning to a clap-out from fellow officers.
Officer Rich Wong rolled out of the emergency room entrance at Jamaica Hospital, his right leg propped up on a pillow, to the applause of fellow officers.
A 26-year-old female bystander was shot in the leg after leaving the Target on Jamaica Avenue. Police are still looking into who fired the shot that struck her.
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