Weeks after a 16-year-old boy allegedly opened fire on a 14-year-old boy, the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested the suspect on assault, attempted murder and weapons charges Monday.
The broad daylight shooting happened on Oct. 14, when the 14-year-old boy was boarding a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus in Manhattan.
UPDATE: The individual wanted for this Attempted Murder has been arrested and charged by our @NYPDDetectives. https://t.co/k81K9BF9e0
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 9, 2021
The name of the suspect has not been released due to his age, and the victim's name has also not been shared, reported NBC New York.
The suspect fired two shots as the other teenager took an M1 bus in the morning. Surveillance video showed the 16-year-old shooting from the sidewalk before running away. The shooting didn't turn out to be fatal, and police said that the boy suffered a graze wound to his head.
The shooting didn't seem to be random, said sources. Based on the footage, it looked like it was intentional, said an NYPD cop. Authorities were looking into whether it was gang-related, but no gang-related charges were filed.
The victim was being stalked when he boarded the bus, said sources. The victim’s mom said that her son normally stays out of trouble, and was on his way to a friend’s house when the bullets were fired, according to New York Daily News.
A clear bullet hole in the driver's side window of the bus was seen in a photo. The other bullet struck protective plastic, with a metal bar blocking the bullet and possibly saving life of the driver, who reportedly went through emotional trauma and suffered a minor injury to his left hand following the shooting.
MTA President Craig Cipriano said that the driver of the bus had four and a half years on the job when the incident took place, and his heart went out to him. Cipriano said, "The bus operator barrier, the metal bar on the bus operator barrier stopped one of the bullets. Which otherwise could have had really serious consequences."
Iesha Sekou of Street Corner Resources, which is a community group working to end gun violence, said that the boy was shot at his head and she had to have a conversation with his mom at the hospital.
