NEW YORK -- Mayor Edward Koch Sunday criticized New Yorkers cheering the the 'Death Wish' gunman who shot four alleged muggers on a subway train, but said the incident provided 'a great opportunity' to reform the criminal justice system.
A Daily News poll released Sunday found about about half of the New Yorkers questioned support confessed subway gunman Bernhard Hugo Goetz, 37, who remained in a Riker's Island jail cell Sunday.
Goetz surrendered to New Hamphire police Dec. 31 and confessed he shot and seriously wounded four teenagers believed to have tried to rob him on a subway train three weeks ago.
He has declined numerous offers from politicians, family and friends to help him pay $50,000 bail.
His lawyer, Frank Brenner, said Goetz 'is making his own arrangements' to post the bail and would be leaving the jail during the next few days.
A Daily News-WABC-TV poll released Sunday showed 49 percent of the 515 New Yorkers questioned approved of Goetz's actions. Only 31 percent disapproved.
But the poll found that most New Yorkers stopped short of calling the man a hero. Only 17 percent thought he should be given a medal for shooting the young men, who have told police they accosted Goetz for $5 to play video games.
The poll showed 58 percent disagreed with the attempted murder charges filed against Goetz and an overwhelming 75 percent thought he acted in self-defense.
But Koch disagreed with those who support the gunman and said, 'We cannot tolerate illegal acts.'
He said the frustration of New Yorkers is 'understandable,' but 'doesn't mean you give vent to barbarism. That doesn't mean you get into a subway or street of New York and shoot 'em up, because you're not only going to shoot up the criminals, but the innocent people.'
And he criticized New Yorkers applauding Goetz and likening him to the citizen-turned-vigilante hero of the movie 'Death Wish' starring Charles Bronson.
'Anyone who would support the revenge factor, the Charles Bronson factor, so to speak, of that movie -- those people are giving into fantasies, which while understandable are wrong,' Koch said. 'That's the baseness in every human being.'
But he added, 'I believe this is a great opportunity now for us to call on the courts to get their house in order. Someone who is alleged to be a criminal walks out of the courtroom ahead of the complainant on many occasions.'
Two of the victims in the shooting remained hospitalized. Daryl Cabey, 19, was listed in critical but stable condition, paralyzed from the waist down for life and fighting off a case of pneumonia. James Ramseur, 18, was in satisfactory condition.
The two other injured youths were released from the hospital during the past week.
