NYPD officer charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing at random strangers while drunk

PELHAM, N.Y., July 7 (UPI) -- A New York City police officer has been charged with attempted murder following the late-April shooting of an unarmed civilian outside the city.

According to authorities, officer Brendan Cronin consumed ten drinks -- some beers, some whiskey -- before driving his car to where the shooting would eventually occur. Prior to going to the bar, Cronin was allegedly training at an NYPD shooting range.

Prosecutors say surveillance footage shows Cronin pull over and wait for an hour for potential victims to stop at the intersection.

The off-duty officer approached the vehicle containing Joseph Felice and Robert Borrelli, crouched into a shooting stance and fired at least 14 shots from his service weapon, hitting Felice six times. Borrelli was unharmed and took Felice to the emergency room where he was treated for gunshots to the shoulder, arms and hands.

"I want to see this NYPD officer -- whose job it is to protect and serve with 'courtesy, professionalism and respect' to be prosecuted and subsequently incarcerated to the fullest extent of the law," Felice told reporters.

Felice and Borrelli are suing Cronin, the NYPD and Commissioner William Bratton for $90 million.

"To see the deliberate actions of this New York City police officer firing into a stationary vehicle for no apparent reason is just chilling," an attorney for Felice and Borrelli said.

"He went into a shooter's stance... There's no other conclusion except that he was trying to kill these men."

Investigators believe the attack was entirely unprovoked and random as they could find no connection between the victims and Cronin.