A 20-year-old Venezuelan man who pleaded guilty to shooting two NYPD officers in Queens was sentenced Tuesday to 28 years in prison — in front of the very officers he wounded.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata did not speak during his sentencing in the Queens courtroom, which was packed with police in a show of support for the officers who were shot during the incident. But Castro Mata’s attorney, Scott Celestin, said his client had “expressed his remorse" since the shooting last June, "and hopes to better his life.”
Castro Mata was charged with attempted murder and assault after shooting officers Richard Yarusso and Christopher Abreu when they tried to stop him early on the morning of June 3, 2024. According to police and prosecutors, Castro Mata had been driving an unregistered motorcycle the wrong way without a helmet on Ditmars Boulevard near 90th Street in East Elmhurst.
In the ensuing struggle, Castro Mata pulled a gun out of his bag and fired, striking Yarusso in his chest and Abreu in his thigh, according to the Queens district attorney’s office. The officers fired back, striking Castro Mata in his foot.
Yarusso’s bulletproof vest saved his life, and Abreu was able to recover from his injuries, prosecutors said. Both men were present in the courtroom Tuesday, according to the Police Benevolent Association union.
“This incident could have ended very differently and was so unnecessary,” Judge Kenneth Holder said before handing down Castro Mata’s sentence. “You’ve changed, through your actions, the trajectory of their life both physically and emotionally.”
The officers who pursued Castro Mata were part of a team from the NYPD’s 115th Precinct working to address robberies in the area. At the time, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Castro Mata was involved in a string of nearby robberies, including of several phones, and an attack on a woman whose credit card was later used at a Queens smoke shop.
Kenny also said Castro Mata had entered the United States in July 2023 through Eagle Pass, Texas, and had no prior arrests in New York City. At the time of the shooting, police said he was living at a hotel on Ditmars Boulevard that the city was using as a migrant shelter. His mother, who lives in Colombia, told Gothamist he had brought his then-1-year-old daughter with him to the United States.
Castro Mata pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault charges last month. A spokesperson for the Queens DA’s office said prosecutors were not aware of any potential deportation proceedings for Castro Mata and referred Gothamist to the city Department of Correction, which referred back to the DA's office for comment.
Yarusso and Abreu are both back at work, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said.
“This judge has sent a message to those who attack police officers,” Hendry said. “We’re just thankful that they were able to recover from their injuries.”