Accused gunman facing charges in deadly shooting spree in Brooklyn, Queens
Thomas Abreu was arraigned Monday from his bed at a Queens hospital, where he was held without bail after the deadly shooting spree.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The 25-year-old man police believe is behind a deadly shooting spree in Brooklyn and Queens was arraigned on charges of murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Thomas Abreu was arraigned Monday via closed circuit TV from his bed at a Queens hospital, where he was held without bail.
He is facing charges in the Saturday shooting that left an 86-year-old man dead and three others injured. At least 100 people attended the funeral Monday for the victim, Hamoo Saeidi.
Prosecutors said Abreu made paranoid statements following his arrest.
"The Russians are after me, the Chinese are after me, the Italians are after me, Africa is after me," he told detectives.
"You are all wearing earpieces," he complained to them
Abreu admitted he rode around Brooklyn and Queens armed a 9mm weapon, but said it wasn't his.
"I was jumped before and someone dropped a bag and when I looked there was a gun and I took it and I kept it since," he claimed.
In a rambling statement delivered through a Spanish interpreter at the beginning of the hearing, Abreu said:
"I think they want to kill me or murder. Everybody says that I'm innocent. That's the best problem that there is. I need my innocence first of all. I'm told that I'm innocent. It's the truth. I was not free but everybody tells me I'm innocent."
"Mr. Abreu, are you coherent enough to follow these proceedings today? You keep on closing your eyes. Are you alert enough to go forward?" Judge Scott Dunn asked at one point.
Abreu said he was.
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Source: WABC-TV
