By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A man who survived more than 20 gunshot wounds in a deadly shootout involving police will finally learn Wednesday whether he'll be charged in connection to the incident, almost eight months after it took place.
Angel Alvarez initially faced a gun possession offense, but prosecutors said they needed more time before bringing charges against him because they were still investigating the Aug. 8, 2010 incident. Under the circumstances, Alvarez could face charges ranging from murder to gun possession.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office convened a rare 45-day grand jury session, the deadline for which was extended several times with the consent of defense lawyers, who say they hope the secret proceeding will exonerate Alvarez, 24.
"We're cautiously optimistic that the grand jury is going to come to the same conclusion that we did months ago," Seth Chandler, one of Alvarez's attorneys, said on Tuesday.
Luis Soto, 21, was shot and killed during the gunfight. Police said in initial reports that Alvarez pulled out a gun and shot Soto to death during a neighborhood block party on Lenox Avenue near 144th Street. But other witnesses said Alvarez wrestled the .38 caliber away from Soto in self-defense, and both of the men were shot by police. The city's Medical Examiner found that the bullet that struck Soto's heart and killed him was consistent with a 9 mm gun, the kind carried by police, not a .38 caliber.
Police searched Alvarez' home while he was recovering in Harlem Hospital and said they found $87,000 and drugs inside his apartment.
Several police officers responding to the early morning chaos fired a total of 46 shots. One plainclothes officer was hit in the chest and saved by his bulletproof vest. Another was hit in the hand by a round, police said.
Prosecutors have refused to say whether they have been looking into the conduct of the officers as part of their investigation.
