Bronx man sentenced to 15 years for deadly shooting — Prison Barbed Wire Fence.Prison Cell's Bars. Jail, Detail of Confinement and Crime, Justice. Prison Interior. Concept of Limiting Freedom.

Bronx, NY — Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced today that Demille Simms, a 28-year-old Bronx resident, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Abdessamad Essafoui in Pelham Parkway. Simms pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on February 14, 2024.

On May 6, 2021, at approximately 3:07 a.m., Simms and Essafoui, 23, got into an argument on Cruger Avenue. During the dispute, Simms pulled out a gun and shot Essafoui in the chest. Essafoui died from his injuries at NYC Health + Hospitals + Jacobi.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio sentenced Simms to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

District Attorney Clark emphasized the tragic loss of life resulting from the senseless use of a firearm, stating, “Another member of our community is dead after an argument ends in gunfire. The defendant will spend 15 years in prison for this senseless crime.”

The case was prosecuted by Senior Homicide Counsel Burim Namani of the Homicide Bureau, supervised by Christine Scaccia, Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and overall supervision by James Brennan, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division, and Theresa Gottlieb, Chief of the Trial Division. District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Faton Alickaj of Bronx Homicide and retired Detective Frank Cirminelo of the 49th Precinct for their work on the investigation.

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