(ProsperNews.net) – Police arrested a 65-year-old man in New York for shooting a robber. The incident happened in the early morning of May 31st in Queens. Police say the robber approached Charles Foehner with an unidentified object and demanded he hand over his cash. The 65-year-old pulled a weapon and shot the younger man several times in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Foehner immediately turned himself over to the police.
Queens District Attorney’s Office said it had charged Mr. Foehner with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a handgun. The deceased, 32-year-old Cody Gonzalez, reportedly has a long history of criminal offenses, including robbery, narcotics possession, and burglary.
Police raided Foehner’s home after the incident and found several weapons, including handguns, revolvers, rifles, and ammunition.
Foehner is outspoken on crime and was interviewed in 2020 by the New York Post. At that time, he said his neighborhood was destroyed by criminals who did not face any consequences for their illegal behavior.
Following his arrest, he told police he carried a gun because of the high crime levels in the city. Statistics show that crime in his neighborhood rose by 50% between 2021 and 2023. In addition, robberies in New York City increased by 38% over the same period.
The deceased man’s family has spoken publicly about the incident and said they don’t blame Mr. Foehner for his actions. Relative Stephan Gonzalez said his family member has a long history of mental illness and never got the support he needed. “We don’t fault the shooter. We all feel that Cody should have been in a psych facility. If anything, the state failed him,” he said.
Cousin Anthony Aguilar told reporters that Gonzalez had stopped taking prescribed medications, and he believes the incident would not have occurred if Cody had continued his medical treatment. He also said he does not blame Mr. Foehner because “the guy’s only defending himself.”
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