Devin Spraggins stood emotionless inside a Queens courtroom Monday as state Supreme Court Justice Judge Kenneth Holder ordered him to serve 39 years to life behind bars after being found guilty of attempting to murder a police officer last year.
While police union leaders hailed the sentence as a triumph for justice, Spraggins’ lawyer lamented the ruling and called the trial that convicted his client “a waste of time.”
The journey to Monday’s sentencing began on April 5, 2023, when prosecutors said Spraggins got into a fight with a bus rider at around 3:20 p.m. over a seat as the vehicle traveled along Jamaica Avenue and 161st Street.
While the commuter bested Spraggins by putting him in a headlock, the MTA driver stopped near NYPD Officers Anthony Rock and Brett Boller for help. However, Spraggins pushed Rock and took off running, with the then newly recruited officers giving chase.
During the pursuit, as Boller caught up to the suspect, he turned and shot at the cop at point-blank range. The bullet tore through Boller’s femoral artery and vein and shattered his hip. But Spraggins was not done there.
Court documents show that he stood over the cop — who was screaming in agony — and pulled the trigger again. Incredibly, when Spraggins attempted to assassinate the cop, no bullets emerged from the chamber since he had accidentally and unknowingly dislodged the gun’s magazine.
“In addition to medical intervention, perhaps there was also divine intervention during that fateful chase on Jamaica Avenue when, unbeknownst to the defendant, the magazine of his gun accidentally fell out,” ADA Kanella Georgopoulos said in court. “An attack on a police officer is an attack on all of us.”
Officer Rock caught up to his partner, sending the gunman fleeing. Cops eventually found Spraggins hiding out in a Bronx apartment several days later and arrested him on attempted murder charges.
During the trial, experts gave testimony that without immediate medical assistance, Boller would have likely perished from his wound. He needed several surgeries and had to have his hip reconstructed, leaving him in constant pain and walking with a limp. He was just 22 at the time of the shooting.
The incident was so traumatic to Officer Rock that he wound up retiring early from the NYPD.
In an attempt to provide his client with a lighter sentence, defense attorney Michael Horn called Spraggins’ trial a “waste of time.” Horn argued that due to copious amounts of evidence, including video footage, the outcome was academic, and Spraggins looked to face trial as a form of self-punishment.
“The whole trial is pointless. You know what happened. We have it on video, and yet we went through this process,” Horn said. “It’s wasted time and resources.”
Horn went on to paint Spraggins as a victim of society who has lived in and out of the homeless shelter system, suffers from mental health issues, and has even suffered abuse at the hands of his family, creating a young man who has suffered alone.
“We’ve just been talking about that two-minute period in April in Jamaica, and having done this for decades, I realized that the story is not all about what happened for two minutes,” Horn declared. “It’s indicative of someone who has grown up through trauma, abuse. You’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar conditions. He’s grown up in a situation where his father abused him, abused by his mother. He’s had periods where he lived in shelters, group homes, never a stable or supportive community.”
Horn asked the court to shave 20 years off his sentence.
Judge Holder responded that the court remained undeterred, arguing that the full sentence against Spraggins was justified due to his actions that nearly cost an officer his life.
“You pointed your gun at him, and you pulled the trigger, you effectively tried to execute him… Unbelievable. So, the question is: what had police officer Boller done that day that was so terrible that on April 5, 2023, he should die for it? What had he done? Absolutely nothing. I’ll tell you what he did: He did his job,” Judge Holder said. “This court is unmoved. Nothing in this defendant’s childhood was so abhorrent as to excuse or minimize his actions here. Actions have consequences and this court will not fall in line with those pleading for a shorter jail time.”
Spraggins stared onward, wide-eyed as Judge Holder sentenced him to 39 years to life behind bars. Officer Boller, who sat in on the sentencing alongside his parents and a slew of fellow cops, appeared to slightly well with emotion as the trial had finally come to an end.
The reaction
Boller limped out of the courthouse and joined police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry outside of the courthouse, who rejoiced over the sentencing.
“What this judge did today is he sent a clear message to every courtroom, every courthouse across this city, to every bench, that if you assault a New York City police officer — if you shoot a New York City police officer, you’re going to stay behind bars for a long, long time,” Hendry said.
Boller was promoted to detective and continues to serve on the NYPD in a restricted capacity. Law enforcement sources say, however, he will never likely be able to return to full service like he had prior to the incident. Inspector Donald Boller, Boller’s father who also currently serves on the force, thanked supporters.
“My son was seriously, seriously injured and still recovering to this day,” Lieutenant Boller said. “We could not have asked for a better outcome.”
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz also dismissed the defense’s notion that the trial was a waste of time.
“Justice is never a waste of time. He wanted a trial. The defendant asked for a trial, and he got a trial. It was a very fair trial. That is what our justice system is all about,” DA Katz said.
