Three people were arraigned Sunday in connection with an undercover investigation that caused the death of a 61-year-old bystander who was fatally shot by a police officer chasing one of the suspects.
Jeffrey Aristy, 28, his wife, Ivett Cruz, 29, and Samuel Ruiz, 24, all of the Bronx, pleaded not guilty to a slate of charges stemming from the New York City police investigation into illegal weapons sales.
The trio were arrested in the wake of a shooting that occurred Friday in a residential neighborhood in Mount Vernon.
The incident began when an undercover NYPD officer met with Aristy, a suspected illegal-gun dealer, in the Bronx and the two men drove to the Westchester County city to conduct the transaction, investigators said.
When they arrived, a second suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Alvin Smothers, entered the back seat of the car and pointed what appeared to be a gun at the officer's head and demanded cash, police said. The officer handed Smothers some money and he attempted to flee.
The officer signaled his backup team and started to chase Smothers who turned and pointed his weapon at them, investigators said. The officer shot and hit Smothers three times in the torso.
The weapon, recovered by police, turned out to be a replica of a high-caliber gun, investigators said.
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Bystander Felix Kumi, who happened to be standing behind Smothers, was also wounded. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where he later died.
Smothers was listed in critical condition at Jacobi Medical Center.
