The man who shot a construction worker, killing her, and wounding another outside a Coney Island job site over employment opportunities, was sentenced to 25 years to life, the Brooklyn District Attorney announced Thursday.
Malik Fryar, 34, of Coney Island, was initially convicted of second-degree murder on Sept. 3 for killing 53-year-old Dorothy Dixon.
The chain of events unfolded on Feb. 4, 2019, when, shortly after 11:30 a.m., Fryar went to a construction site on West 33rd Street where Dixon and other construction workers were trying to find jobs. Fryar, who was looking for work, drove to the site with his wife, exited the car and began arguing with one of the workers over job opportunities. Afterwards, Fryar went back to his car, got a loaded gun, that the district attorney said was illegal, and shot the group of workers gathered — hitting Dixon multiple time and another worker in the foot.
Dixon was subsequently pronounced dead at the hospital and the surviving victim was treated for his injuries. Meanwhile, Fryar fled on foot to a nearby residence while his wife left with the car, which was found abandoned a month later in Brighton Beach.
Fryar was arrested on July 17, 2019 when police found him in a Manhattan apartment trying to escape through an air conditioner duct.
“This was a senseless act of violence that took the life of a hardworking woman, devastating her family,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Dorothy Dixon was a mother of six and grandmother of many more who was just trying to earn a living when her life was viciously cut short.”