STATEN ISLAND (PIX11) — Community members and the widow of a slain NYPD officer rallied Thursday ahead of the killer’s parole interview, demanding he be kept behind bars.

Shatiek Johnson was sentenced to 25 years to life in the death of Gerard Carter. He shot Carter in the head on July 26, 1998.

Carter, who was sitting in a marked police van at the time of the shooting, succumbed to his injuries after hours of surgery. He left behind a wife and son.

Johnson’s parole interview has been scheduled for March, according to Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records. Johnson’s earliest possible release date is July 23, 2023. Jozette Carter-Williams spoke out against Johnson’s parole.

“Gerard’s killer is lost. There is no help for him,” she said. “He is 41 and cannot possibly be a positive contributor to our society.”

Carter-Williams, standing alongside her son, remembered her husband as a good and honest man. 

“Someone who loved, someone who cared deeply about his family, someone who loved his job of protecting his city and was a role model for his community, children,” she said.

Carter-Williams was joined Thursday by Assemblymember Michael Reilly. He sent a letter to the parole board opposing Johnson’s parole. It was cosigned by a number of other Assembly members and by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. 

“Time does not absolve Mr. Johnson of the heinous crime he committed, nor does it heal the pain felt by the family of Officer Carter,” Reilly wrote. “There is no rehabilitation or redemption possible for those who murder our police officers.”