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Teen pleads not guilty to attempted murders Times Square shooting
By
Charles Lane
and
Samantha Max
Published Feb 26, 2024
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Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress
By
Charles Lane
and
Samantha Max
Published Feb 26, 2024
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A 15-year-old who prosecutors said shot a tourist and fired at a police officer earlier this month after shoplifting in a Times Square store pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted murder charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
He will face a maximum of 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison if he is found guilty, a District Attorney spokesman said.
Police have said the teen immigrated from Venezuela last September. The shooting was one of several incidents involving migrants that stoked political debate over immigration and crime across the city and beyond. He was charged as a juvenile.
The teen’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
“This shooting occurred in the middle of a crowded Times Square teeming with New Yorkers and tourists. This defendant is charged with allegedly recklessly firing his weapon inside of a store – striking a tourist - and then turning the gun on a police officer who was courageously attempting to place him under arrest,” Bragg said.
The teen was also charged with attempted assault, assault and weapons possession.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office said 15-year-olds can not be charged as adults under state law.
Prosecutors said the teen fired a gun after an employee at a store in Times Square tried to stop him while he was attempting to shoplift. The store employee wasn’t injured, but a bullet hit a tourist in the leg, according to the DA’s office.
The teen was captured the next day in Yonkers.
Police said the gun used in the Time Square shooting was a .45 handgun, though they did not say how he obtained it.
Police also said he was a suspect in two other incidents: another recent Times Square shooting, on Jan. 25, where a similar handgun was used but no one was struck and an armed robbery in the Bronx on Jan. 27. He has not been charged in either of those incidents.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated details about the case. Prosecutors say the suspect shot a tourist and fired at a police officer after shoplifting.
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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