Hit-And-Run Driver Accused Of Killing Harlem DJ To Stand Trial

HARLEM, NY — The driver accused of fatally striking popular Harlem DJ Jean Paul Guerrero — known as La Mega 97.9's DJ Jinx Paul — and fleeing the scene is set to stand trial more than two years after the collision, officials announced this week.

The trial of Kevin Ozoria, 28, will begin March 5 at the Kings County Criminal Courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn. Ozoria was charged in 2017 with leaving the scene of an incident with a death and tampering with evidence and may face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents the Harlem area where Guerrero lived, urged New Yorkers to attend the trial to show support for Guerrero's family and all hit-and-run victims.

"Anyone that takes off after a hit and run should be held accountable. What happened to DJ Jinx Paul is a terrible and senseless crime that could have been prevented. It is unfortunate that the City of New York is experiencing an increase in traffic fatalities due to negligent drivers," Rodriguez said.

The city councilman added that he plans to fight for funding in the city's 2020 budget to extend resources to the NYPD that would better equip the department to investigate hit-and-run killings. The publication Streetsblog reported Tuesday that the NYPD has failed to make an arrest in four hit-and-runs since December, despite identifying two suspects.

Advocates for safe streets have also gotten involved with the trial and extending support to Guerrero's family. Marco Conner, interim executive director of the group Transportation Alternatives, said in a statement that "traffic violence is not treated as the epidemic that it is."

"[The NYPD and prosecutors] must make it easier to report hit and runs, they must lead the way to change existing harmful law and internal policies, and they must make comprehensive arrest and prosecution data available to the public," Conner said in a statement.

Guerrero was hit and killed on Dec. 19, 2016 in the intersection of Sheffield and Jamaica avenues in East New York, Brooklyn after performing at a nearby club. First responders found Guerrero unconscious, unresponsive and suffering from severe trauma to his body, police told Patch.

Guerrero was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Ozoria was arrested and charged after investigators found surveillance footage of him driving near the site of the collision in a 2010 Honda Accord, which needed repairs for a shattered windshield, said prosecutors.

Lead photo courtesy of La Mega 97.9