Man convicted for killing NYC emergency medical technician
NEW YORK (AP) — A man has been convicted of killing a New York City emergency medical technician when he ran over her with her own ambulance in 2017.
The Bronx jury on Wednesday convicted Jose Gonzalez of murder in the death of Yadira Arroyo, a 14-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York and mother of five.
Authorities said Gonzalez, now 31, jumped into the driver's seat of the ambulance on the evening of March 16, 2017, when Arroyo got out of the vehicle after being flagged down by a pedestrian on a Bronx street. She and her partner had been on their way to respond to a distress call about a pregnant woman.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez ran over Arroyo before crashing into cars.
At a news conference after the conviction, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said, "We finally, finally get justice for her,” The New York Times reported.
At the time, police said Gonzalez, who has a history of arrests and violence, was high on drugs. His legal representation said he was mentally ill.
His trial — delayed for several years as he underwent psychiatric evaluations to determine his mental fitness — started last month.
Attorney Richard Barton told The Associated Press he didn't understand how the jury decided to convict his client and that he plans to appeal. He said jurors disregarded the results of drug tests and the “delusional state of mind” Gonzalez was in at the time.
