STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York State officials have denied parole for the man convicted in the shooting death of NYPD Officer Gerard Carter, state records show.
The parole applicant, now 43-year-old Shatiek Johnson, was sentenced on a top count of murder to 25 years to life in prison in connection with the 1998 slaying. He currently is serving out his sentence at Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York.
A jury determined Johnson, then 17 years old, shot Carter, 28, who was seated in a marked police van in the courtyard of the West Brighton Houses. The murder came amid an uptick in violence across the city and strained relations between police and some residents in socioeconomically struggling communities.
Carter had been working as part of an impact team in the borough’s public housing complexes, and lived nearby with his family. His funeral was attended by scores of fellow officers and top city officials. A community center in Stapleton bears his name.
Carter was survived by his former wife, Jozette, and son, Louis.
“Louis and I are relieved that the man who stole Gerard from us will stay in prison for now,” said Jozette Carter-Williams on Tuesday, in regard to the board’s decision.
Parole board process
When considering parole for an inmate, the Board of Parole looks at correspondence from family and friends of both the victim and the person convicted, while assessing the applicant’s current thoughts on the incident itself.
They also measure an applicant’s participation in rehabilitative programs, their plans on surviving in a world that in many ways has passed them by, and their disciplinary record while in prison.
‘I love my brother’
Johnson had been described by some police, prosecutors, neighbors and friends as a once “nice kid” who loved to play basketball, before becoming enveloped in a criminal lifestyle.
At 15, he was convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of a homeless man over a $10 debt, the New York Daily News reported at the time.
His older brother, when contacted about Johnson’s first parole hearing in 2023, said simply, “I love my brother.” He otherwise declined to comment.
’27 parole hearing
Johnson is again eligible for parole in 2027, which Carter’s family said is too soon.
“It is painful to think that we will have to reopen these wounds and go through this process again in just two years,” Carter-Williams said.
“Louis will never get a second chance to grow up with his father. I will never get another chance to see my best friend. It is fundamentally unfair this killer will keep getting second chances he doesn’t deserve.”
The head of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York has echoed those sentiments.
“The time between parole hearings should be lengthened to minimize the trauma on suffering family members like Louis and Jozette,” said PBA President Patrick Hendry in a statement leading up to Johnson’s parole hearing.