36 Years After Being Shot, Midwood Man’s Death Ruled A Homicide

The medical examiner has ruled that a Midwood man died last year from injuries sustained during a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub more than 36 years ago, police announced Tuesday.

Anthony Defonte, 69, was found dead in his apartment on Avenue O, near East 12th Street, on August 30, 2014. His girlfriend discovered his body, police said.

The Daily News reports that Defonte was paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the back at a Manhattan nightclub in 1979. When the Daily News interviewed him in 1988 after his specially-modified Oldsmobile had been stolen, Defonte said he was an innocent bystander during the shooting.

The medical examiner said Defonte’s death was caused by sepsis with bronchopneumonia, an infection related to the gunshot wound in his back, according to the Daily News.

Cops told the Daily News they are still searching for the incident report for the shooting that lead to Defonte’s death.