Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Former Correction Officer Shot To Death In Alleged Love Triangle Dispute
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 11, 2014
Modified Jan 11, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 11, 2014
Modified Jan 11, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A retired correction officer was shot to death in Queens yesterday in what investigators believe may be connected to a romantic dispute gone wrong.
The NYPD says Jeffrey Ragland, 50, was fatally shot outside a home in Queens Village early Friday morning by off-duty correction officer Oniel Linton. Authorities believe Ragland, a 23-year DOC veteran who retired last year, was involved in a dispute with Linton and 33-year-old girlfriend Salees Sales.
Linton allegedly told officers that Ragland and Sales used to date, and that Ragland had been staking out his residence at 108th Avenue near 227th Street because he knew the new couple were inside. According to authorities, when Sales, who is also a correction officer, left Linton's house at around 4:30 a.m. Ragland confronted her; Linton said he witnessed Ragland hit Sales and intervened.
At some point, Linton told cops, he thought he saw Ragland reach for a gun, and Linton shot him in the chest. "I heard two shots,” Lauristine Finch, a 72-year-old neighbor who was awakened by the commotion, told the Post. “I heard pop, then ten seconds later I heard another pop again. I knew it wasn’t firecrackers.”
Ragland was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center and pronounced dead. Both Linton and Sales were reportedly questioned, but no charges were filed as of last night. Meanwhile, those who knew Ragland were shocked to hear about the incident. "I have never seen that man get angry in over 10 years that I’ve known him,” Paul Johnson, who coached youth athletic teams with Ragland for over a decade, told the Times. “He just shakes his head and walks away." It is unclear whether Ragland was armed at the time of the shooting.
Tagged
department of correction
doc
jeffrey ragland
shooting
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 1:24 p.m. ET
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .