Retired Doorman Sentenced After Fatal Late-Night Confrontation
A 67-year-old man from New York has been sentenced to four years in prison after a plea agreement related to the fatal shooting of a would-be mugger outside his Queens apartment. Charles Foehner, a retired doorman, appeared stone-faced as he arrived at Queens County Criminal Court for sentencing on Thursday morning.
A Confrontation Turns Deadly
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 31, 2023, in the quiet neighbourhood of Kew Gardens. Foehner was on foot, heading to a parking garage, when 32-year-old Cody Gonzalez lunged at him. Gonzalez, wielding what appeared to be a sharp object, demanded money. In response, Foehner drew an illegal firearm and fatally shot the assailant.
It was later revealed that Gonzalez, a man with more than a dozen prior arrests, was not armed with a weapon but was instead holding a pen. The entire altercation was captured by a surveillance camera in the driveway of Foehner's apartment building, where he lived with his wife, Jenny Speed. Chilling footage showed Gonzalez approaching Foehner before shots were fired from a distance of about eight feet.
A Hidden Arsenal Uncovered
Following the shooting, investigators executed a search warrant on Foehner's apartment. The search uncovered a staggering cache of illegal weapons. Despite only having a license for five rifles, authorities recovered more than two dozen firearms.
The collection included pistols, shotguns, rifles, three assault rifles, an AK47, 153 loaded high-capacity magazines, and two body armour vests. Foehner was subsequently charged with 26 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, though he faced no charges directly related to the fatal shooting of Gonzalez.
Foehner told authorities he used a .38 calibre Smith and Wesson revolver, which he had obtained illegally in a bar during the 1990s, to shoot Gonzalez in the chest. He stated, "I pulled the trigger. I emptied the revolver. Last night I was carrying a firearm because of the crime in the city." He later explained to detectives that firearm collection was his hobby.
As part of the plea agreement, Charles Foehner will now serve a four-year prison term, bringing a close to a case that sits at the complex intersection of self-defence and illegal gun ownership.
