A Brooklyn man who permanently paralyzed a defenseless young father in a bout of blind rage — shooting him in the head as he slept inside a Midtown recording studio — received a 17-year prison term on Tuesday.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Cori Weston handed down the term to Zykil Adamson, 26, more than two years after the dead-of-night shooting on March, 8, 2024, inside the Music Building on Eighth Ave. near W. 39th St., which left victim Sidarius Davis paralyzed on the left side of his body for life.
Adamson, whose sentence included five years’ post-release supervision, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in April.
Directly addressing Adamson in emotional courtroom remarks, the victim’s mother, Curtisha Davis, said the consequences of the shooting continued to affect Davis and his loved ones, years after the fact.
“I will never forget the fear of not knowing whether my son was going to survive. Staying at the hospital every night just to make sure he would make it through the night,” Curtisha Davis said.
“You may have been thinking about one moment when you pulled the trigger, but that moment created consequences that extend far beyond that day. It affected my son, his daughter, our family, and everyone who loves him.”
After the hearing, Davis’s mother told the Daily News that she felt 17 years was not long enough.
“He wouldn’t even look at me,” she said of Adamson.
A day before the attack, Adamson, Davis and others had spent time together in one of the dozens of recording studios inside the famed building, which is open to musicians 24/7 and over the decades has hosted icons like Madonna, Blondie, Billy Idol and Metallica, according to the company’s website.
Trouble began brewing between the two men after Adamson stole an imitation pistol from Davis, according to charging papers, and Davis realized it was missing and demanded it back.
Hours later, as Davis slept inside an 11th-floor recording studio, a hotheaded Adamson returned and shot Davis once in the side of the head, inflicting a catastrophic and life-altering brain injury, according to court records.
“My thoughts are with the victim who will be paralyzed for the rest of his life due to this near-fatal shooting,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
“Combatting gun violence is our top priority, and those who use guns to endanger the lives of others will be held accountable.”