An off-duty New York City Rikers Island correction officer was shot dead in Queens early Saturday, according to the police.
John Jeff, 28, was discovered dead on the sidewalk in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens around 3 a.m. with 11 gunshot wounds all over his body, the New York Post reported.
Jeff attended a party before he got shot. A source said his gun went missing.
Witnesses attending a party not too far away from the crime scene said they heard gunfire and saw a man on the ground bleeding out from his head.
“I heard someone shouting, ‘Yo, someone got shot, someone got shot.’ I ran to the corner. I saw a man laying there. I heard screeching like tires,” one woman said.
A Good Samaritan tried to perform CPR on the victim but felt no pulse.
“I was busy trying to save him. I saw blood, but I only realized he was shot in the head when the police came,” the Good Samaritan said.
Jeff, who was on the job for more than two years, worked at the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island, said Correction Officers Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio Jr. in a statement.
Boscio Jr. added:
“He was 28 years old and was on the job for just over two years with his whole life and career ahead of him. He was well-liked and highly regarded by his fellow officers. While the police continue to investigate this horrific incident, which is being investigated as a homicide, our hearts and prayers are with Correction Officer Jeff’s family and his fellow officers at AMKC during this painful time. We are offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of Correction Officer Jeff’s assailant or assailants.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also offered his condolences on this tragic loss.
The investigation into his death is ongoing and no arrests have been made yet.