Suspect charged after 17-year-old shot and killed outside a restaurant in Queens

by Dinesh Patel

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Dennis Vassilenko, 18, has been charged with murder and other crimes for allegedly shooting and killing a Queens teenager in Corona, Queens, on July 7, 2021.

District Attorney Katz said, “Easy access to illegal guns has resulted in another senseless tragedy in our community. A 17-year-old is dead, allegedly killed by another teenager in broad daylight. This bloodshed must end.”

Vassilenko, of 72nd Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was arraigned this afternoon before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jerry Iannece on a complaint charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Judge Iannece remanded the defendant and set his return date for  August 3, 2021. Vassilenko faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison, if convicted.

According to the charges, at approximately 4:20 p.m. on July 7th, the defendant is observed on surveillance video at 95-48 40th Road in Corona, Queens. Vassilenko was standing near the victim, Eduardo Hernandez Martinez, when suddenly the defendant allegedly pulled out a firearm and shot at the 17-year-old Martinez outside the Sabor Latino restaurant. The victim died after being struck twice in the torso.


Vassilenko was apprehended by police yesterday.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Thompson Wen, of the New York City Police Department’s 110th Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Andrew Alloro, of the NYPD’s Queens North Homicide Squad.

Assistant District Attorney Franchesca Basso and Kaitlyn Gaskin, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter J. McCormack III, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, John Kosinski and Karen Ross, Deputy Bureau Chiefs and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.

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