A murder suspect was mistakenly released from New York City’s Rikers Island and is still missing.
Christopher Buggs, 26, was released from the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on March 8, the New York City Department of Corrections confirmed to the Daily Caller.
Buggs was released due to a clerical error and is currently armed and dangerous, according to Fox News. A judge sentenced Buggs to 30 days regarding a different criminal case and that sentence was mistakenly listed as the final disposition in the murder case, the New York Daily News reported. (RELATED: Over 100 Released Rikers Inmates Already Arrested Again For New Crimes: Report)
Buggs is accused of shooting and killing 55-year-old Ernesto Brownlee outside a bodega in Brooklyn in 2018, according to Pix 11. Buggs allegedly shot Brownlee — an ex-convict who killed two men in the 1980’s — in the chest three times, according to the New York Daily News.
A Brooklyn murder suspect was released from Rikers Island in the dead of night after a clerical screw-up.
Christopher Buggs, 26, is considered armed and so dangerous that correction officers were warned not to approach him but rather to call the NYPD. https://t.co/LYRVFcbngR
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 10, 2021
The New York City Department of Corrections said that, as of Wednesday morning, the suspect has still not been found and that the Correctional Intelligence Bureau is working with law enforcement to apprehend Buggs.
The NYPD warned corrections officers not to try to apprehend Buggs himself because of the threat he poses, according to Fox News.
New York City Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Peter Thorne said a full investigation is underway in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“We are aware of this incident and a full investigation into how this happened is underway. Right now we are working with our law enforcement partners to return this individual to custody.”