Bronx teen faces life in prison for Umbrella
Hotel New Year’s slaying in Kew Gardens
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | NOV. 5 - NOV. 11, 2021 9
BY BILL PARRY
Bronx teenager was indicted
by a Queens grand jury for
murder and related charges in
the New Year’s Eve fatal shooting
of a Rosedale man, and
wounding two other victims,
outside the Umbrella Hotel
in Kew Gardens, according
to Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz.
Richard Swygert, 19, was
arraigned before Queens Supreme
Court Justice Ushir
Pandit-Durant on a sevencount
indictment charging
him with murder, two counts of
attempted murder, assault and
possession of a weapon in what
was the first murder in the city
of 2021.
The fatal shooting outraged
the Kew Gardens community
who demanded the hotel’s closure
claiming the Umbrella
had been a hotbed of criminal
activities, including prostitution,
drug dealing and human
trafficking. Mayor Bill de
Blasio on Jan. 5 said he would
move to shut down the hotel
that had also received over a
dozen violations last year.
Swygert was already behind
bars after he was indicted
just last month on murder
charges in the fatal shooting
of a St. Albans man inside a
Flushing karaoke bar. A second
victim was shot but survived,
according to the Queens
DA’s office.
According to the charges,
Swygert allegedly pulled out a
gun after a disagreement between
two groups of revelers
celebrating New Year’s Eve at
the now-shuttered Umbrella
Hotel on 82nd Avenue and
Queens Boulevard.
At around 1 a.m. on the
morning of Jan. 1, Swygert allegedly
shot 20-year-old Robert
Williams, a standout athlete
who was just one day shy of
his 21st birthday, and two other
men. Williams died at the
scene and the other two victims
were taken to area hospitals
for medical treatment.
“The defendant’s alleged actions
led to the first homicide
in New York City this year,”
Katz said. “Senseless shootings
have brought grief and heartache
to far too many families
in our neighborhoods. My office
will continue to work with
our law enforcement and community
partners to stop the
proliferation of guns in Queens
and to hold accountable perpetrators
of gun violence.”
Justice Pandit-Durant set
Wygert’s return to court for
Nov. 29. If convicted he faces up
to 25 years to life in prison.
Police guard the crime scene at the Umbrella Hotel in Kew Gardens after a New Year’s fatal
shooting left one dead and two wounded. A Bronx man was indicted by a Queens grand jury and faces
life in prison if convicted. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
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