Mom dies in Coney shooting
A 36-year-old mother of seven shot during a crazed Coney Island gunfight has died of her wounds.
Police said Victoria Rugucki was shot in the head during a June 9 clash outside her home in the O’Dwyer Gardens on West 35th Street between Mermaid and Surf avenues and was in critical condition for two days before succumbing to her injuries — right before police apprehended 29-year-old Bushwick resident Isa Johnson for the shooting.
Rugucki and three others were caught in the crossfire between two gunmen, Johnson and Rugucki’s 17-year-old son Ishmel, who was taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Cops later determined that the bullet which killed Rugucki came from Johnson’s gun.
The shooting erupted during an argument involving the victim’s daughter Felicia, who was seen with a group of boys that family members had an ongoing argument with, according to published reports.
Investigators said Johnson suffered a graze wound to the neck during the gunfight and was later found on West 35th Street and Mermaid Avenue.
Two other men, ages 21 and 24, fled the scene in a 2006 Ford Mustang, but ended up smashing into a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe on West 16th Street, police said.
Stabbed in spine
Cops have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a May 16 school yard brawl that left another man paralyzed.
Their suspect, identified as 41-year-old Guiseppe Giuffre, became immersed in a teenage tiff at the PS 186 school yard when his younger relative began arguing with two other teens.
When Giuffre stepped in and threatened one of the teens, that boy’s father and step-father stepped in.
After a few harsh words everyone began fighting, police said. During the fisticuffs, Giuffre pulled a knife and jammed it into an opponent’s spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.
Giuffre ran from the scene, only to be captured after a brief investigation.
Robbed of bag
A 63-year-old woman was robbed of her handbag after she walked through Sheepshead Bay on June 9.
The victim said she was nearing the corner of East 28th Street and Avenue Z at 8:30 pm when an unidentified male grabbed her purse, which contained $280, her passport and $85 in money orders, while he ran past her.
The thief was last seen running down Nostrand Avenue, police said.
Car smasher collared
Cops have arrested a 23-year-old thief caught breaking into a 2011 Honda Pilot parked in Gravesend on June 13.
Officials said that the suspect was seen smashing the passenger side window to the vehicle while it sat on West 7th Street between 22nd Avenue and Avenue O at 4 am.
The thief removed $10 in quarters from the car before responding officers took him into custody, charging him with criminal mischief and petit larceny.
Followed and robbed
A thief jumped a 17-year-old outside Sheepshead Bay High School on June 8.
The victim said he was on Batchelder Street between Avenues X and Y just after 9 am when the thief tried to take his iPod out of his hand.
The victim managed to keep his iPod, but not before being punched in the face, officials said.
Busted for burglary
A thief breaking into a Sheepshead Bay home was arrested on June 9 after he was confronted by the resident he found inside.
Police said that the 39-year-old suspect forced his way into the basement of the Avenue V address between East 16th and East 17th streets at about 2 pm, but beat a hasty retreat when a 31-year-old resident saw him.
His escape was short lived, however. Cops tracked down and arrested him a short time later, charging him with burglary.
Game grief
Two thieves were taken into custody on June 13 after they were caught swiping a handful of PlayStation 3 games from a Bensonhurst Best Buy.
Workers at the Bay Parkway electronics store said they spotted the two men taking the games from their plastic wrappers and secreting them in a bag they had on them at 6:15 pm.
Both were nabbed and held for police.
W 23rd St. attack
Two people were arrested on June 13 when a near traffic infraction ended in a street brawl.
Police said that the suspect and another man were arguing with each other on West 23rd Street between Mermaid and Surf avenues following the near miss at 5:50 am when they lunged at each other, causing a crowd of fifteen to encircle the two to see what was going on.
Both were taken into custody, charged with assault.
Super grope
Cops are investigating a woman’s claims that she had been sexually assaulted — not once, but twice — by the janitor in her building.
The 30-year-old said both confrontations took place either inside the building or in front of the building, which is on Voorhies Avenue near Sheepshead Bay Road.
Both attacks took place between June 3 and June 4, she told investigators.
No arrests had been made.
Violent roughhousing
Two thugs are being sought for assaulting a Sheepshead Bay Chinese restaurant owner on June 6 after he asked the two men to quit roughhousing outside his business.
The victim told police that he saw the two men acting up outside his eatery, which is on Avenue V between Ford and Coyle streets, at 12:25 am.
When he went outside and told them to calm down, they attacked, leaving him with a battered face and a cut above his eye.
Wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can lead them to graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti, which is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners.
According to police, there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.