Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 15 Years to Life in Prison for Fatal Shooting in Crown Heights Park
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 21-year-old Crown Heights man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of Christopher Ross, a 53-year-old father of two, who was struck by a bullet intended for another individual while enjoying a summer afternoon in Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Christopher Ross was a father who went to a neighborhood park and never came home. The defendant fired multiple shots in a space filled with families and children, killing a man who had nothing to do with the dispute, but was just trying to enjoy a summer afternoon. No family should have to endure that loss. My office will continue the steady work of keeping guns off Brooklyn streets and ensuring people can feel safe in our communities.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Gucci Morris, 21, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter to 15 years to life in prison. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder on October 30, 2025, following a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on August 9, 2020, at approximately 5 p.m., the defendant traveled with a group of friends to Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights, Brooklyn wearing dark clothing and carrying a loaded firearm. At the same time, Christopher Ross arrived at the park to play handball with friends.
As two groups engaged in a physical altercation along a main park walkway near a playground and handball courts, the defendant pulled out a gun and fired off multiple shots. One of the bullets passed through a fence surrounding the handball court and struck the victim in the left eyebrow, piercing his skull and brain. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting caused panic throughout the park, which was crowded with adults and children. The defendant fled the scene with others, later altering his appearance to avoid arrest.
Following an extensive investigation that included eyewitness accounts, surveillance footage tracking the defendant before and after the shooting, digital evidence recovered from the defendant’s phones, and identifications by individuals familiar with him, the defendant was arrested and charged on February 9, 2022.
The District Attorney thanked KCDA Detective Investigators, Detective Thomas Pisano of NYPD Brooklyn North Homicide, Detective John Davis of NYPD Gun Violence Suppression Division, Detective Dave Williams of the NYPD’s 77th Precinct, Paralegals Suleimy Santos and Andy Wang of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, Intelligence Analysts Anna Kharitonova and Hiba Abdullah of the KCDA Digital Evidence Lab and Multimedia Analysts Theophilus Kendall, Robert Rubenstein and Lawrence Ricks for their assistance in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gianna Del Grippo, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Salvatore Prince, of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicide Bureau Chief.
