Metro

Shooting witness ‘finds Jesus’ — and recants her story

A gangbanger whose gunfight with a rival killed a Coney Island grandma landed a sweetheart plea deal after a prosecution witness said she “found Jesus’’ and recanted — enraging the victim’s family.

Ex-con Malcolm Mitchell, 28, had faced a possible 25 to years to life after Anna Surman, 87, was shot in the neck as she sat on a bench feeding cats in 2009.

Mitchell — whose priors included robbery and gang assault — admitted to firing back at a foe when Surman was killed.

Anna Surman

“I pulled out my gun and shot twice . . . trying to defend myself. I did not see the lady and regret the actions that I took,” Mitchell told cops at the time, according to court papers.

But the case against Mitchell fell apart when his intended target, whom he hit in the leg, wouldn’t snitch on him — and a witness who told prosecutors she saw Mitchell blasting in Surman’s direction recanted her story.

“She said she found Jesus and had lied before because she wanted reward money,” said a law-enforcement source.

Up to $12,000 had been offered by authorities for help finding and convicting Surman’s killer.

Mitchell wound up pleading down from murder to criminal possession of a weapon in a deal that gave him a 10-year sentence last week.

But with time served and good behavior, he’ll likely serve even less — a mere six years.

Surman’s still-grieving family was furious.

“It’s absolutely terrible. He’s not human,” Surman’s son, Yevgeniy Surman, 66, said of Mitchell.

Surman’s grandson blasted the suddenly religious witness.

“She said she turned a new leaf and the voice of God spoke to her, some bulls–t like that,” said Michael Surman, 28, adding that he believes somebody pressured her not to testify.

“I would like for [Mitchell] to stay in jail forever. Somebody like that doesn’t deserve to be out on the street.”

Mitchell’s lawyer, Michael Sheinberg, said his client was “happy” with the sentence.

“It was a good sentence. He faced 25 years to life in a murder, and he’s walking out with 10 years,” Sheinberg said.

Still, Mitchell wasn’t satisfied with the sweet deal.

He wanted his sentence to be delayed so he could marry his fiancée, who sat in the Brooklyn Supreme Court gallery Tuesday.

“He wishes to get married. He needs a couple of weeks to get it set up,” Sheinberg said in court.

But Judge Neil Firetog refused the request.

Mitchell didn’t speak when given the chance, announcing he preferred to “stand mute.”

His fiancée declined to comment.