Trial of Accused Gunman Begins in Brooklyn

By ANDREW HUGHES & STEVEN FERRARO

Jury selection began on Thursday in Brooklyn Supreme Court for the Queens man accused of gunning down two Brooklyn security guards, one fatally, in November 2014 in Brownsville.

Antonio Mahon, then 20, opened fire at James Merced and Aaron Locklear outside the Riverdale Osborne Towers at the intersection of Livonia and Rockaway avenues. Locklear, who was shot in the neck, later died after being taken off of life support a few days later on December 4^th. Merced was shot in the back and was hospitalized.

Mahon faces 18 charges by prosecutors stemming from the shooting spree. Among the charges were counts of menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, trespassing and burglary. Mahon was found by the police department’s violent felony squad on January 10, 2015, and was held without bail.

No motives were ever disclosed by police officers who arrested and questioned Mahon, nor were details of where and when they found him. The case has taken several years to unfold due to the wait for DNA results and the discovery of a new surveillance video.

The defendant arrived in court wearing all black, sporting a tie, button-down shirt and slacks. As he made his way to the front of the courtroom, he repeatedly smiled at his family, who were among the few people present. At one point Mahon mouthed something indecipherable to his family while maintaining a cheery demeanor.

The defendant’s attorney and Judge Shawndya Simpson held discussions regarding Mahon’s potential sentencing. Simpson strongly suggested to the attorney  that Mahon should take whatever plea bargain is offered because, she said, if the prosecution recommended 40 years she would likely go higher.