Smothers
WHITE PLAINS – A Bloomfield, New Jersey man was arraigned in Westchester County Court on Wednesday on an indictment charging him with murder and robbery stemming from the shooting death of Felix Kumi in Mount Vernon on August 28, 2015. The fatal shot, however, was fired by an NYPD police officer.
Alvin Smothers, 37, had met with an undercover New York City police officer to sell the officer two illegal handguns. The officer was driving an undercover vehicle and a third person, known to the officer as a gun seller, was in the front seat.
Smothers got in the back seat and the three drove around discussing the sale. A short time later, the car stopped, the discussion continued, but Smothers pulled what appeared to be a gun on the officer and demanded the purchase money. The officer complied and Smothers got out of the car. When the officer also got out, Smothers pointed his weapon at him again and the officer fired at him striking an innocent bystander walking on the sidewalk. That man, Felix Kumi, was shot in the torso and back and died in an area hospital.
The indictment is the conclusion of a 6 ½ month investigation into the events.
The third person in the incident, described as the gun seller, Jeffrey Aristy, has been charged with a 29-count indictment including 25 charges related to illegal gun sales.
Smothers pled not guilty and remains in the Westchester County Jail. If convicted, he faces 15 to 25 years in state prison.
