By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A man who shot an MTA worker to death, then shot at his two friends and a pair of NYPD officers who tried to intervene was sentenced to up to life in prison on Friday.
Daniel Israel, 24, was convicted in December of killing MTA conductor Warren Justin Dandridge during the armed rampage on a Harlem street on June 23, 2007. He was also convicted of shooting two of Dandridge's friends and taking aim at two police officers who chased him down and caught him on scene, authorities said.
Israel was standing in front of a Kennedy Fried Chicken at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue when he got into a dispute and pulled out a .45 caliber handgun and started firing, according to published reports.
Dandridge, 26, of Staten Island, was shot in the abdomen, buttocks and ankle, according to reports. When two of Dandridge's friends ran over to help, one was shot in the arm and one was grazed, reports said at the time.
Dandridge's father said his son was trying to break up a fight when he was killed. He said his son is buried in Alabama under a headstone that reads, "Bless thee thy peacemaker."
Dandridge's wife and two dozen other relatives and friends attended the sentencing, and asked the judge to give Israel the maximum time allowable by law to keep him from hurting anyone else.
Dandridge's now-6-year-old daughter Justice did not join them. In addition to his transit job, he was an usher at the Beacon Theatre and a volunteer basketball coach at the YMCA, they said.
Dandridge was a devoted New York Giants fan who was killed before he got to see them win the Super Bowl in February 2008, according to his father.
"He should have been there to see that," said Dandridge Sr., who asked the judge to ensure that Israel will never return to society.
Israel was brought down by a pair of police officers assigned to a nearby housing project.
Sargeant Sean Lynskey, who chased Israel down with Scott McKenna, also spoke at the sentencing, telling the judge, "It comes down to accountability."
Israel said Friday that he was sorry for his actions, but claimed he "honestly" didn't remember what happened.
His lawyer David Hammer argued at trial that Israel was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after he was nearly stabbed to death a year earlier. He said he plans to appeal the conviction.
Israel's mother, Irveana Parker, sobbed throughout the entire proceeding and blamed herself for raising him poorly.
She also apologized to Dandridge's family.
"It is clear Mr. Israel is an extremely dangerous individual and he should never be allowed to do anything like this again," Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus said before sentencing him to the the maximum prison time allowed by law.
The total sentence was 35 years to life in prison. He received the maximum allowable on the second-degree murder conviction alone, which was 25 years to life behind bars.