Retired NYC doorman, 65, faces slew of weapons charges after being arrested for shooting dead mugger

A 65-year-old from Queen's, accused of shooting and killing a man who tried to mug him, was arraigned on a further 25 criminal charges not directly related to the shooting earlier today. 

His bail was set at $50,000 by Judge Jerry Iannece, double the amount initially requested by the Queens District Attorney's Office. 

Retired doorman Charles Foehner was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after a man, who made an attempted mugging with a sharp object that turned out to be a pen, was shot dead in Kew Gardens. 

Witnesses told NBC a man, identified by police as Cody Gonzalez, shattered the front door of an apartment building on 82nd Avenue near Queens Boulevard. 

The man also damaged a call box in a building's foyer across the street.

Police said Gonzalez approached Foehner, holding a sharp object demanding money and cigarettes, attempting to rob him, though the sharp object turned out to be a pen. 

Charles Foehner, 65, was arraigned on 25 criminal charges on Friday  

Foehner's wife leaves court on Friday 

Police said the confrontation escalated and Foehner pulled out a gun and shot Gonzalez.

Foehner called 911 and remained at the scene but Gonzalez was later pronounced dead. 

The shooter has a weapons permit for a shotgun and a rifle, but it does not cover the pistol used in the shooting nor did he have a concealed carry permit. 

A judge, who has since recused herself, signed off on a search warrant of Foehner's home, which led to a discovery of more than two dozen unlicensed firearms.

On Thursday evening Foehner was charged with 25 counts of criminal weapons possession, according to the police. 

Judge Marty Lentz recused herself on Thursday night, telling the court that her prior knowledge of the 'complicated' case would force her to prejudge the case which would be unfair to the defendant, Fox 5 reported. 

Foehner told prosecutors, 'I pulled the gun out of my pocket. It didn't go off accidentally. I pulled the trigger. I emptied the revolver. 

Last night I was carrying a firearm because of the crime in the city...I've had it since the 1990s. I obtained it in a bar one night. The firearms are mine and mine alone' ABC 7 reported. 

Gonzalez’s aunt told NBC New York her 32-year old nephew suffered from a mental health condition, but he didn't deserve to die for the attempted mugging.

'He was never aggressive with people. He truly didn’t deserve to go that way. It was devastating to us,' said Iris Gonzalez. 'He didn't have to shoot him.'

Security footage of the attempted mugging shows the two men in the confrontation 

The incident occurred outside an apartment building on 82nd Avenue near Queens Boulevard

Cody Gonzalez approached Foehner, holding a sharp object demanding money and cigarettes

Foehner is accused of shooting and killing a man who tried to mug him

Emergency services arrived at the scene but Gonzalez was later pronounced dead 

However, other relatives of the deceased took a different tone. 

'If he tried to rob him, the guy’s only defending himself. You can’t blame him for defending himself,' Gonzalez's cousin, Anthony Aguilar, told the New York Daily News.

'We don’t fault the shooter. We all feel that Cody should had been in a psych facility. If anything, the state failed him,' said another cousin, Stephan Gonzalez.