The North Carolina man who killed a New York City police officer from Long Island during a botched home invasion has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.
Brooklyn Judge Alan Marrus handed down the sentence Thursday to Lamont Pride, 28, who was convicted two weeks ago of murdering NYPD Officer Peter Figoski, a 47-year-old divorced father of four from West Babylon.
Pride fatally shot Figoski in December 2011 when officers caught him trying to rob a drug dealer. Figoski’s partner apprehended Pride shortly later.
Michael Velez, Pride’s 22-year-old alleged getaway driver, was tried before the same judge but a separate jury acquitted him. He was reportedly sentenced to two years in prison for a parole violation.
Two other suspects, 28-year-old Nelson Morales and 31-year-old Kevin Santos, both of Queens, have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
A fifth man involved in the robbery, 23-year-old Ariel Tejada of Queens, had pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others in exchange for a lighter sentence.
