BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A Brooklyn man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years behind bars for an anti-gay attack at a Bushwick bodega, officials said.
The victims, 36 and 29, were waiting for food in a bodega on Broadway on Sept. 4, 2021 when Christopher Clemente made a series of homophobic slurs, prosecutors said. Jonathan Carter, who has not yet been tried, allegedly joined in.
Clemente, now 38, repeatedly punched the order victim in the face, officials said. Carter allegedly hit the victim in the head and body with a glass liquor bottle, knocking him to the ground. Clemente then repeatedly stabbed the victim in the head and body.
The 29-year-old victim ran. Clemente and an unapprehend man chased the victim and grabbed him, officials said. Clemente punched and stabbed him, all while continuing to use homophobic slurs.
The older victim suffered stab wounds to his head, buttocks and body, prosecutors said. One of his lungs collapsed. Both of the younger victim’s lungs collapsed in the attack. He was hospitalized for 13 days.
“This vicious attack on two innocent victims was an intolerable act of anti-gay violence, and today’s sentence sends a strong message that we will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits a hate crime,” Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said. “Nobody should fear that they’ll be attacked because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and we are committed to vigilantly protecting the rights of Brooklyn’s LGBTQ community.”
Clemente pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder as a hate crime on Jan. 25, 2023.
