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LI teen charged in A train shooting that left 15-year-old 'fighting for his life,' DA says
By
Samantha Max
Published Jun 6, 2026
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Samantha Max
Published Jun 6, 2026
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A Long Island teen faces charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal weapons possession in the shooting of a 15-year-old on the A train earlier this year, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
A Queens judge ordered that Matthew Rodriguez, 19, of Levittown, be held in custody without bail on Friday after he was extradited from Virginia. Rodriguez fled the state following the shooting and was arrested in Newport News last month, according to the DA’s office.
Queens DA Melinda Katz said the 15-year-old who was shot “is now fighting for his life in a hospital bed.”
“The epidemic of youth gun violence must end,” she said in a statement on Friday. “My office will use every tool available under the law to hold the alleged shooter and his accomplice responsible for their actions.”
The shooting happened on April 27 aboard a Manhattan-bound A train as it approached 80th Street in Ozone Park. It followed a physical fight between the 15-year-old, Rodriguez and a 16-year-old, according to the DA’s office.
After several minutes of fighting, Rodriguez took a gun from a holster wrapped around the 16-year-old’s ankle and fired at the 15-year-old, hitting him in the back, Katz’ office said. Rodriguez and the 16-year-old, whom officials have not named, fled the scene.
Prosecutors said the 16-year-old was already facing charges for allegedly shooting the 15-year-old during another incident in Far Rockaway in February. He was released from custody after the 15-year-old decided not to testify, according to police.
The 16-year-old now faces charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon related to the incident on the A train. He could spend up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Rodriguez faces as much as 25 years in prison if convicted of his charges, the DA’s office said.
Carol Winston, the 15-year-old’s aunt, said several days after the shooting that the teen was on a ventilator, and his mom was considering whether to pull him off of life support. Prosecutors said this week that the teen is still undergoing treatment in the hospital and unable to walk.
Rodriguez’s attorney declined to comment, and attorney information was not available for the 16-year-old.
NYPD data shows shootings and transit crimes are both down compared to this time last year. The number of teens arrested for fatal shootings so far in 2026 has surpassed that of any other age group, Gothamist previously reported.
Tagged
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queens
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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