Teen pleads not guilty to attempted murders Times Square shooting
Feb. 26, 2024, 5:16 p.m.
The 15-year-old was charged as a juvenile on allegations that he shot a tourist and fired at a police officer.
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.
An attack on 2 NYPD officers was caught on video. We fact checked the commentary. Times Square shooting suspect faces no added charges for being in a 'gun-free zone'