Michael Vernon

Case record: Michael Vernon

Overview

Michael Vernon was convicted in connection with a shooting at a shoe store in the Bronx, New York. The attack killed five people and critically wounded three others.

Timeline

• December 19, 1995 — Mike, a 22-year-old gunman seeking to buy size 13 1/2 boots, opened fire in Little Chester Shoe Store near the Bronx Zoo during the holiday shopping season, killing five people and critically wounding three others.
• October 25, 1997 — Michael Vernon was found guilty of all five counts of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder.
• November 14, 1997 — Michael Vernon was sentenced to life in prison.

The offence

Michael Vernon entered Little Chester Shoes shortly before noon and announced a holdup. He started firing at close range in the store. Five people were killed, and three others were critically wounded.

Police later described the incident as “a robbery gone awry,” and officials said it appeared that the attack followed a dispute in the store and was set up to be a robbery situation. Police also said the victims were shot at the store before Vernon and the officer opened fire, which would mean a hostage was not hurt in the exchange of fire.

Victims

The dead included:

• Maria Carrasquillo, 38
• Ricardo Gonzalez, 13
• Rafael Gonzalez, 12
• Kwong Bae, 41
• Henry W. Lucero Inga, 25 (also identified as the last victim to be identified by the police)

Additional people reported killed at different points included a boy about 12 years old, a woman around 30, and two men in their 20s, with uncertainty whether they were customers or employees. Police later announced another death and that a sixth person was on life support.

The store owner was not injured. A hostage was taken as Vernon left the store and faced an officer.

Hostage and additional injuries

During the rampage, Vernon grabbed Jae Moon Chae, 67, described as a Queens businessman, as a hostage and shot him at least once.

Vernon was recovering from surgery at Bronx Municipal Hospital. Bronx Municipal hospital treated Vernon and also treated injuries including a 30-year-old man shot in the head and a 57-year-old man shot in the chest. The additional injuries were not described further in the provided material. Three shooting victims remained in critical but stable condition, including the two store clerks and the businessman who was briefly taken hostage.

Named shooting victims remaining in critical but stable condition included:

• Juan Dones (store clerk)
• Said Galve Gonzolo (store clerk)
• Jae Moon Chae (businessman briefly taken hostage)

Investigation

Initial accounts described a dispute between Vernon and store employees, but police later cited robbery as the motive. Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said the killings were apparently motivated by a combination of factors, including that Vernon was upset because some shoes he had ordered from Little Chester had not come after several weeks.

An investigator said accounts varied on what Vernon said when he walked into the store screaming, and that Vernon then started shooting and walking around the store, killing five people.

Prior background and psychiatric history

The provided material described a history of mental illness and drug problems:

• Officials said Vernon had shuttled in and out of hospitals and health clinics for treatment of paranoid schizophrenia.
• The material stated he had a history of drug problems and a police record that included two assault convictions.
• It also said he had been convicted of assault twice, of robbery once, and of disorderly conduct twice, and had never served time in prison or even on probation.
• One law enforcement official said that in the disorderly conduct cases, he was originally charged with selling drugs but pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
• Vernon’s mother, Frances Vernon, denied that her son took drugs.
• One official said the combination of someone taking drugs and who was schizophrenic created “an extremely unstable situation.”

The material also stated the lawyer for Vernon said Vernon had “severe psychological problems” and that an independent psychiatric evaluation would likely be sought.

Motive dispute

Vernon’s brother, Christopher Simmons, objected to police’s portrayal of Vernon as a robber. Simmons said Vernon went to the store to buy a pair of boots ordered several weeks earlier and that “When he got there, he just snapped.”

Arrest and shooting with police

Police arrested Vernon after a shoot-out with police. The incident included an exchange of fire with a highway patrolman. Police said Vernon had a hostage as he left the store and faced the officer.

The highway patrolman ducked behind a parked car and exchanged fire with Vernon using a shotgun in his cruiser. Vernon was apparently wounded, ran around the corner, and was shot and collapsed on the pavement. Police later announced finding a 9mm handgun on Vernon.

Location and setting

The shooting occurred on White Plains Road in the Pelham Parkway section, on a commercial block near the famous zoo. Merchants described the area as safe. The store was identified as Little Chester Shoe Store.

Trial

Michael Vernon was tried for murder and attempted murder connected to the Little Chester Shoes killings.

A jury found Vernon guilty of:

• all five counts of first-degree murder
• four counts of attempted murder

Vernon claimed he was insane at the time of the attack. Prosecutors said he planned to rob the shoe store on December 19, 1995.

Defence counsel and psychiatric evaluation

Vernon’s lawyer was identified as Ira Brown. Brown said Vernon had “severe psychological problems” and said he would likely ask a judge to order an independent psychiatric evaluation.

Vernon’s wife told Brown that Vernon had a “significant psychiatric history.”

Sentencing

On November 14, 1997, Vernon was sentenced to life in prison.

The provided material also described that:

• The prosecutor Robert T. Johnson opposed the death penalty and had said he would not seek capital punishment for Vernon.
• Gov. George E. Pataki faxed two letters to Johnson demanding an explanation for the decision not to seek the death penalty and expressing “grave reservations.”
• The District Attorney reiterated an intention to seek “a sentence of life in prison without parole.”

Outcome

Vernon remained sentenced to life in prison as of the provided status.

Other details

Indictment and charges

The material stated a grand jury returned a 42-count indictment against Vernon. He was accused of killing five people and wounding three others. The district attorney announced that Vernon was being charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder (two counts for each victim) involving:

• Maria Carrasquillo, 38
• Ricardo Gonzalez, 13
• Rafael Gonzalez, 12
• Kwong Bae, 41
• Henry W. Lucero Inga, 25

Additional alleged confession (other killing)

Police officials said Vernon confessed to at least one other killing. Investigators believed Vernon may have killed a yellow cab driver during a robbery on Nov. 3, 1993. The material said Vernon confessed to shooting Stephen Feinman, 52, in the head with a .32-caliber revolver, and quoted First Deputy Commissioner John Timoney describing it as a fact only police and the killer would know.

A housing patrolman said Vernon tried last summer to confess to another murder, but police refused to take the report. After being arrested for misdemeanor assault five months ago, Vernon admitted his role in a third shooting and offered information about a sniper attack on two officers. The patrolman was identified as Ronald Rodriguez.

Tape recorder plea

The material stated that a toy tape recorder belonging to a 12-year-old boy who was one of the five victims captured a barely audible, high-pitched voice pleading with the gunman. The voice said:

• “Please help,”
• “Please help,” the voice said, according to today’s Daily News and New York Post. A police investigator told the New York Times it sounded more like:
• “Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me,”

Prior medical care

The material stated Vernon had been treated for two weeks at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in the Bronx in August, where officials said he was evaluated, treated, and referred for follow-up care at another agency. It also stated he was receiving psychiatric care and medication from Morris Park Health Clinic in the Bronx, and that his family said he intended to go there after stopping by Little Chester Shoes.

Statements and quotes

Police spokesperson:

• “It looks like he had an argument with one of the employees,” said a police spokes person.

Christopher Simmons, Vernon’s brother:

• “He didn’t go there to rob the place,”
• “When he got there, he just snapped.”

First Deputy Commissioner John Timoney:

• The material stated: “a fact only police and the killer would know,” describing Vernon’s confession about Stephen Feinman.

Danielle McAuley, hospital spokeswoman:

• “He was evaluated, treated and referred for follow-up care at another agency,”
• “She declined to identify the agency he was referred to, citing the ongoing police investigation.”

Robert T. Johnson, Bronx District Attorney:

• The material said he would not seek capital punishment for Vernon.

William J. Bratton, Police Commissioner:

• “a robbery gone awry.”
• Bratton said the killings were apparently motivated by a combination of factors, including shoes that had not come after several weeks, and said that when Vernon returned to the store Tuesday, “it was set up to be a robbery situation.”

Susan Miller, hospital spokeswoman:

• The material said they were in critical but stable condition.

Fernando Ferrer, Bronx Borough President:

• “There are still too many guns in the streets, and some of them found their way here.”