Ticket Seller Who Shot Bystander In BPC Gets 20 Years: Report

BATTERY PARK CITY, NY — A ferry ticket vendor who shot a bystander over a dispute with a rival seller was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a report says.

The New York Daily News reported Jason Wright, 39, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years for the shooting — in which he shot a 34-year-old woman in the knee April 2017.

Wright interrupted a judge, saying the rival ticket hawker he was trying to shoot had punched him first, the newspaper wrote. A bullet grazed the chest of the rival seller, Patch reported at the time.

"It's no wonder that gun violence could take place around an individual such as that," Wright told the judge, according to the News. "I happen to be the person who was found guilty of this shooting. Should it not be considered that he in some way is responsible? ... If this should have taken place in a back lot in Brooklyn some place, it wouldn't have been given media attention."

Judge Robert Stolz fired backing, saying he was not sentenced because of the media attention.

Wright's lawyer Michael Hurowitz argued for a 10-year sentence, saying the behavior was dangerous but "is not as bad as when you go out an intentionally kill someone," the News reported.

The 2017 shooting reignited calls to end ticket sellers who are known for scamming and harassing tourists in Battery Park City for ferry tours at the time.

This summer, NY Waterway, which operates out of Pier 36, recently threatened to revoke dock permits if vendors are caught selling tickets on streets for tours. Tickets are only supposed to be sold at a kiosk in Battery Park.

The company rule change comes after a state lawmaker accused cops of doing nothing after she was harassed by vendors.

Click here for the full New York Daily News report.