Charles Foehner Queens Self-Defense Shooting Prosecution (2025)
Charles Foehner Queens Self-Defense Shooting Prosecution (2025) — A Queens man who shot a would-be mugger in 2023 was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2025 after Queens DA Melinda Katz prosecuted him for unlicensed firearm possession, drawing widespread controversy.
Summary
In 2023, Charles Foehner, a Queens, New York man with no prior criminal record, shot and killed a would-be mugger outside his Kew Gardens apartment. The mugger had 15 prior arrests. Foehner was arrested following the incident, and during the investigation police found an unlicensed arsenal of firearms in his apartment. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz's office prosecuted Foehner primarily on the weapons charges.
On November 20, 2025, Foehner—then in his mid-to-late sixties—pleaded guilty with the understanding that he would be sentenced to four years in prison, based on his plea to possessing unlicensed firearms. He began serving that sentence in January 2026. Critics argued that prosecuting a man with no prior record who shot an armed mugger in apparent self-defense, while the mugger had 15 prior arrests, reflected a misaligned criminal justice priority. The case drew comparisons to the Daniel Penny subway case and similar incidents where individuals who used force against violent criminals faced prosecution.
DA Melinda Katz's office noted the charges centered on the cache of unlicensed firearms found in Foehner's home, not solely the shooting itself. However, critics contended that the prosecution was overzealous and that the four-year sentence was disproportionate for an elderly man with no prior record who was protecting himself. The case trended widely on social media in November 2025, with commentators arguing it exemplified a double standard in New York's justice system.
Key Details
- Date: Shooting occurred 2023; Guilty plea and sentencing November 20, 2025; Began serving January 2026
- Location: Kew Gardens, Queens, New York City
- Key People: Charles Foehner (defendant, no prior record); Queens DA Melinda Katz; unnamed mugger victim (15 prior arrests)
- Outcome: Foehner sentenced to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlicensed firearm possession; began sentence January 2026