Queens prosecutors released video on Wednesday showing the fatal shooting of a city correction officer in 2020 — a slaying that remains unsolved but “never forgotten” more than four years later.
The grainy surveillance footage, made public for the first time, captures the gruesome final moments of John Jeff, a 28-year-old off-duty NYC correction officer, who was shot at least eight times in the early hours of Aug. 15, 2020 near the corner of Defoe St. and Ridgedale St. in Springfield Gardens.
Jeff, riding in a black Chevy Malibu driven by a female coworker, was heading to a late-night party around 3 a.m., the Daily News previously reported.
The victim and his 26-year-old colleague stopped at a fire hydrant when their car was blocked in front by a garbage truck and behind by two vehicles — a black Mercedes and a blue BMW, according to prosecutors.
When Jeff stepped out to ask the drivers to move, an argument erupted. He identified himself as law enforcement and pulled his firearm.
The black Mercedes backed up, allowing Jeff and his friend to leave. But seconds later, they were blocked again — this time by a white Infiniti coming from the opposite direction. Someone knocked on the Malibu, drawing Jeff back out of the car.
The confrontation intensified as partygoers from a nearby house flooded into the street. Video footage captures the chaos, with people shouting as the situation quickly spirals out of control and ending with the sound of gunfire ringing through the street.
The footage does not clearly show the shooting itself, but investigators believe multiple shooters were involved, and that Jeff was blasted with his own gun after he was hit with a suspect’s gun, prosecutors said. Jeff’s gun was not recovered from the scene.
“My office has been investigating the murder of an off-duty Correction Officer for over four years. Although cases grow cold, they are never forgotten,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “We hope that by publicly releasing this surveillance footage we will bring more attention to this senseless unsolved murder.”
Jeff was shot in the head, torso, left arm, and left leg before collapsing on the pavement. The three vehicles involved — the Mercedes, the BMW, and the Infiniti — sped away.
Jeff was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he later died. He was killed less than a mile from his Rochdale, Queens home.
He worked at the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island after joining the Department of Correction about two years before his death.
No arrests have been made and officials are asking anyone with information to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. A $30,000 reward is being offered for tips leading to an arrest.
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