PETER FIGOSKI
LAMONT PRIDE
SHAME! Driver Michael Velez at Brooklyn Supreme Court, where a jury acquitted him of murder and burglary charges in the slaying of Detective Peter Figoski. (Gregory P. Mango)
The man who drove a crew of bandits to rob a Brooklyn drug den — culminating in the fatal shooting of a decorated NYPD officer — was cleared of burglary and murder charges yesterday.
The Brooklyn jury verdict after a three-week trial was the second blow in a matter of days delivered to the family of slain Detective Peter Figoski, whose parents, ex-wife and daughters sat stunned, some bursting into tears, as jurors cleared 22-year-old Michael Velez in the cop killing.
The judge even apologized to the Figoskis after the verdict.
Velez drove four thugs to the East New York basement apartment where one of them, Lamont Pride, 28, gunned down Figoski in December 2011.
Pride was convicted Monday of second-degree murder but acquitted on the aggravated-murder charge that would have put him in prison for life without parole.
The two were tried at the same time with two different juries hearing the evidence. Velez’s jury apparently bought his claims that he didn’t know his passengers were planning a robbery.
When the jury announced its “not guilty” verdict, uniformed cops from the “7-5” sitting in the gallery let out stunned sighs of disbelief.
The slain cop’s mother, Mary Ann Figoski, 79, sat with her mouth wide open as ex-wife Paulette buried her head in her hands. Figoski’s sister-in-law sobbed loudly, and three of his four daughters walked out of court with tears in their eyes.
“I understand how difficult it is. I’m sorry,” said Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus.
“I understand there’s still a hold on him, so he’s not getting out today,” Marrus added, referring to a probation violation Velez has on his record from a past case.
Velez smiled to his family when the verdict was read. He testified that he thought Pride and the others just needed a ride to buy marijuana.
“He said, ‘I want to cry.’ I said, ‘go ahead,’” said defense attorney Damien Brown. “He said he wanted to get a message to the Figoski family. He wanted me to tell the family that he was very sorry … He wishes he never would have gone out with those guys, but at no time did he ever know that they were going to commit a robbery.”
“My heart goes out to the family for having to be treated like this again,” said John Giangrasso, a cop and PBA trustee who worked with Figoski in the 75th Precinct.
“This is becoming an all too common occurrence with Brooklyn juries. How could they disrespect a New York hero like Peter Figoski?”
PBA president Pat Lynch also slammed the verdict.
“This is a devastating verdict for all police officers and for the Figoski family. We are deeply disappointed that the jury completely disregarded the role that the defendant played in the death of a brave police officer.”
Ariel Tejada, 23, who flipped on his once-fellow crooks in exchange for a lighter sentence, testified that Velez knew Pride had a gun and that he knew about the robbery and even asked for a “PC,” a percentage of the profits.
Two other suspects, Nelson Morales and Kevin Santos, will stand trial next month.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona