NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for speeding while drunk and fatally crashing into a car driven by an off-duty NYPD officer in 2020, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Kassun Brown, 32, pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced Thursday. He is currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a separate conviction in a drug possession case.
According to video surveillance footage from January 17, 2020, at approximately 11:58 p.m., Brown sped past a stop sign in his 2006 Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Nashville Boulevard and Lucas Street in St. Albans.
His car then crashed into a Nissan Altima driven by off-duty officer Michael Ellis who was traveling westbound on Lucas Street. Ellis' car went into a clockwise spin before hitting two parked cars and Brown's car veered into a telephone pole.
Ellis was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a traumatic brain injury, a broken neck and facial fractures. He died Feb. 27, the day of his 35th birthday officials said.
He lived in St. Albans and worked at the 63rd Precinct in Brooklyn.
At .09 percent, Brown's blood alcohol content exceeded the maximum legal threshold of .08 percent.
He was taken to a local hospital after the collision for treatment of a dislocated right ankle. A passenger in Brown's car was treated for a fractured femur.
"The defendant's reckless disregard for the rules of the road and the safety of his fellow motorists cost a young police officer his life. Nothing will undo the tragedy, but we hope today's sentence provides a measure of comfort to Officer Ellis' loved ones," DA Katz said.
