15-year-old charged after 5-year-old grazed in ear by stray bullet
New surveillance video shows men wanted in the Longwood shooting
LONGWOOD, The Bronx (WABC) -- A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged after a 5-year-old girl was grazed by a stray bullet in the Bronx.
The teen is charged with attempted murder, police said.
Police released surveillance video and photos of the two other men wanted in the shooting that injured a 5-year-old girl who was holding her mother's hand in the Bronx.
The little girl was rushed to hospital after being shot in her ear on Southern Blvd. in the Longwood section around 5:25 p.m. Wednesday.
Gunfire shattered the glass of a bodega's door. At least one shooter targeted someone on the sidewalk in front of it.
Police say the target was definitely not that 5-year-old girl, but she was grazed in the ear.
She was taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition.
Eyewitness News spoke with the mother of the victim over the phone about the frightening moments that turned a shopping trip into a nightmare.
"One of the guys had like a big Ziploc bag of weed, and another one was trying to like grab it from him. I don't know if he was trying to rob him or what," the mother said. "So the way they were cursing, I already knew something was going to happen. So I told my baby, I'm like 'come on, we got to hurry up and get out of here.' Soon as I said that, pistol gun shots fired out, around 10 to maybe eight gunshot."
The mom and daughter were rushing into a nearby beauty supply store for cover when the mom said she noticed her child bleeding, and flagged police down.
"My daughter, she's screaming. I never heard a scream like that," the mother said. "Then she grabs her ear and her hand was full of blood. I'm just happy that my baby's here. It could have been worse."
Businesses were left to pick up the pieces.
"Crazy kids going running around, shooting out. And I went outside and after I see all the cops came and I just I came out," Malik Raza said. "A lot of people running, running everywhere."
Raza was in his jewelry business at the time. It was one of the several shops hesitant to open up Thursday morning.
"They're very scared to open, but they open because they don't have a choice. They have families to feed," Javier Medina said.
Medina, with the Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District, spent the day providing reassurance and promising action.
"This is not the first time it's happened. Last year, we had the tragedy when an 8-year-old was shot and killed up the block," Medina said.
Police are reviewing surveillance video from the bodega and neighboring businesses that may help them figure out who fired those shots and injured the child.
These three men were believed to be shooting at another group of young men. Detectives are still working on surveillance video of the other group.
The victim's mother offered her own solutions to the violence, and a message to the suspects.
"Yes, I do forgive them. They need more recreation. They need it," the mother said.
The Southern Boulevard Improvement District says it's planning a meeting with public officials next week to see what solutions they can come up with.
The motive of the shooting is not yet known.
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