New charges in Roosevelt Field shooting

A Little Neck, Queens, man faces new charges, including robbery, in the pre-Christmas shooting at Roosevelt Field mall, Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said Friday.

She said Oliver Lee, 21, was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice William Donnino on five new charges. Those are:

* First-degree assault;

* Three counts of first-degree robbery, including two new counts;

* Two counts of second-degree criminal weapons possession, including one new count;

* Three counts of second-degree assault, including one new count, and

* Seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Bail was continued at $750,000 bond or cash. Lee is due back in court on Feb. 5 and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

Speaking of the Dec. 22 incident, Singas praised the actions of Kenneth Krug, the hero security guard from Baldwin, who, with the help of other security officials and Nassau police, detained the suspect.

“This defendant allegedly stole an expensive piece of jewelry at gunpoint, caused an innocent man to be shot, and brought widespread panic to a crowded shopping mall during the height of the holiday shopping season,” Singas said in a statement. “Luckily the selfless heroism and quick response of Mr. Krug, other security personnel and Nassau County police ensured that this violent robbery didn’t result in even greater harm.”

In a news release, the district attorney’s office accused Lee of brandishing a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the Rolex section of the Tourneau store in at Roosevelt Field, as he attempted to rob the shop of a Rolex Yacht-Master watch that sells for more than $18,000.

A struggle ensued between Lee and Krug, a retired New York Police Department sergeant. The government alleges that during the struggle, Lee’s gun, which was in his hand, fired and struck a 67-year-old mall employee in the shoulder.

As the struggle continued and moved to an adjacent store, two other security guards joined and detained the suspect. Nassau County Police Department personnel provided a massive response to the scene and arrested Lee, who they said had 10 oxycodone pills in his possession, the district attorney’s office said.

The shooting victim spent one day in a hospital; he is recovering, the district attorney’s office said.