A man was sentenced Monday for his role in a 2023 Upper West Side armed robbery that ended with shots being fired at police.
Oliver Richardson, 51, appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 5 to face sentencing for robbing a man and his young child back on Jan. 6, 2023. According to statements made on the record, Richardson and his two accomplices, Mark McFadden and Joseph Gallishaw, followed a father and his two-year-old son for several blocks as they drove their car until they parked the vehicle on 75th Street and Central Park West.
With the boy still in his arms, court records indicated, the trio pointed firearms at the victim, leading to a struggle. Amidst the chaos, McFadden’s gun fired, narrowly missing the child’s head and striking a nearby car.
The suspects fled the scene, but later that afternoon, officers spotted them traveling on the West Side Highway. The officers pursued them to the intersection of West 107th Street and Riverside Drive, where they attempted to pull the suspects over.
After stopping their car, cops said, the trio of suspects took off on foot, scaling a nearby fence in a desperate getaway attempt.
While police swiftly apprehended Gallishaw, Richardson tried to shed his clothing but was later found hiding behind a wall in the park. The garments matched what he was seen wearing during the robbery, court records show.
McFadden, however, took things further and fired at police during the foot pursuit before he was ultimately apprehended, earning him an attempted murder charge. A nearby playground was brimming with children at the time.
“Gun violence is unacceptable in any form, but the alleged actions of these defendants put the lives of a father, his young child and an NYPD officer serving our city at risk,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in 2023. “Everyone deserves to enjoy the scenic and historic views of the Upper West Side and Riverside Park safely and we will not tolerate this type of violence anywhere in Manhattan.”
Richardson declined to speak before being sentenced to three years in jail with two years post-release supervision. Gallishaw pleaded guilty to one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and was sentenced to 364 days in jail.
McFadden’s case is still ongoing, with his next court appearance scheduled for Nov. 13.
