A man convicted of shooting two NYPD officers with one bullet following a wild Lower East Side police chase after he robbed a mahjong parlor was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday.
The term was handed down to Joshua Dorsett, 24, by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward, who heard a victim impact statement from one of the wounded officers that was read aloud by a prosecutor.
“Joshua, every step I take, every time I lift my child, I am reminded of the sacrifices I have made protecting the city,” the statement by Lt. Carl Johnson read in part, which went on to criticize 20 years as too short.
“There was no need for you to fire that gun — only to serve your false sense of power and entitlement. However, being ever the optimist, I hope it’s enough time for you to realize the errors of your ways and, God willing, when you are released, you will be able to make a positive impact upon the community.”
Barry Williams/ New York Daily News
Lt. Carl Johnson, second from left, and Sgt. Christopher Leap, second from right, listen to victim impact statements Monday during Joshua Dorsett’s sentencing for shooting them in 2024. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)
Dorsett pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault upon a police officer and robbery in August, stemming from the Aug. 1, 2024, incident, involving Lt. Johnson of the 5th Precinct and Sgt. Christopher Leap of the 7th Precinct that began at a gaming parlor on Canal St. near Eldridge St. Both NYPD members were promoted in the wake of the incident.
The Two Bridges man was accused in the case of holding 20 people up at gunpoint and stealing a stack of cash, multiple purses and a book bag before fleeing to a clothes store on Delancey St. to change his outfit before his confrontation with the two sergeants.
Johnson and Leap pursued him, throwing him against a car as he refused to drop a .45-caliber pistol, court docs detail.
Barry Williams/ New York Daily News
NYPD Lt. Carl Johnson receives a hug after Joshua Dorsett was sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday for the 2024 shooting of Johnson and fellow Sergeant Christopher Leap. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)
He struck both officers after firing his weapon inside his pocket, with a single bullet tearing through Johnson’s groin area, exiting and then striking Leap in his upper thigh, according to prosecutors.
“Without any hesitation, Sergeants Leap and Johnson jumped into action, pursued the perp and were shot while apprehending him. Our city is safer because of their bravery,” Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent Vallone said in a statement Monday.
After his arrest, Dorsett said “the gun went bam” in his pocket while he had his hands behind his back and cops were searching him, the Daily News previously reported.
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
ESU officers get ready to clear part of 91 Canal St. as NYPD officers and detectives investigate a robbery which led to two officers being shot. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
Dorsett, who faced several arrests starting in his teen years, including selling drugs to an undercover narcotics officer a half dozen times, had met with a probation officer in the hours preceding the shooting.
His neighbors at the Alfred E. Smith Houses previously told The News that Dorsett was “a very lost kid” known for kind gestures when “in the right state of mind.”