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DA Won't Prosecute Man ID'd With Facial Recognition in Casino Shooting

 Police accused Jaquan Roberts, 22, of allegedly firing a gun Friday night at the parking lot of Resorts World Casino, but the Queens DA's office decided not to prosecute him.
Police accused Jaquan Roberts, 22, of allegedly firing a gun Friday night at the parking lot of Resorts World Casino, but the Queens DA's office decided not to prosecute him.
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QUEENS — The District Attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the man who was accused of firing shots in the Resorts World Casino parking lot last Friday after being identified through facial recognition software.

According to the NYPD, Jaquan Roberts, 22, turned himself in to police Tuesday morning and was initially charged with attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

But on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Queens DA’s office said that “no charges have been filed pending further investigation.” She declined to elaborate on the case. 

Roberts was released early Wednesday without being arraigned, his lawyer, Ali Najmi, said.

“There was a rush to judgment here by the NYPD without sufficient evidence,” Najmi said.

Police accused Roberts of firing several shots in the parking lot of the Resorts World Casino around 10:50 p.m. Friday, as a massive brawl was raging inside the casino.

Police officials said that they identified Roberts as the suspect after checking surveillance footage around the casino and using facial recognition technology and a license plate reader, police said.

It was not clear if there was an issue with the facial recognition technology.

Officials said that they searched the area and local hospitals looking for possible victims, but none were found.