Gov. Hochul's bail reform moves rejected as 19-year-old with prior record and out on bail is arrested in UWS shooting
NEW YORK -- On the very day that gun violence erupted on the streets of Manhattan, lawmakers in Albany rebuffed Gov. Kathy Hochul's efforts to enact bail reform.
The shots that rang out in three separate locations weren't heard in the state capital, but their reverberation is sure to be felt, as the governor digs in her heels in her own battle to get lawmakers to see the need to tighten bail laws as part of the budget.
And now she can also use the words of NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
"He's male, 19. He has three prior arrests, two for narcotic sales this year in 2023, and there's an indictment for an armed robbery with a firearm in 2021. And he is currently out on bail in that case," Chell said, describing the suspect who shot a 17-year-old student outside Martin Luther King High School on West 68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on Tuesday.
The fact that the suspect was arrested twice for selling drugs and now for shooting a teenager -- while on bail on charges related to the armed robbery of a deliveryman -- is sure to stoke the debate about public safety in Albany.
Ironically, the shooting happened on the very day lawmakers proposed their own budgets that pointedly left out Hochul's demand that judges be given more discretion to set bail.
"We have felonies and repeat offenders that are bail eligible and many times the judges are not setting bail," the governor said last week while demanding bail changes.
Now, with lawmakers saying no way, sources tell CBS2 she is prepared to dig in her heels, even if it means a late budget.
"I would like an on-time budget. I'm not planning on one that's not, but I also know that I'm here to do the work of the people of New York state and they expect me to not leave town until the job's done," Hochul said.
Right now, it's unclear whether the governor can win the bail fight. The budget is due April 1 and it may depend on how long she's willing to delay the fiscal plan, and what behind-the-scenes threats she's willing to make.
The governor has a lot of power when it comes to the budget, but the lawmakers are feeling empowered after they defeated her pick to head the state Court of Appeals.
Details on the UWS shooting
The 17-year-old student shot Tuesday is in stable condition. He was shot twice in the stomach, police said.
"I just want to commend the community members of the Upper West Side. Their quick diligence for calling 911, and the observations they made. These actions by this community up here allowed our precinct officers from the 20 Precinct to quickly apprehend who we believe to be the shooter, firearm recovered, and no further incidents," Chell said.
It happened around 9:50 a.m. when the student was involved a "dispute with four to five males, looks like in their teens."
The suspect pulled a gun and fired, hitting the 17-year-old student "multiple times," police said.
The student ran two blocks to the school on 66th and Amsterdam Avenue. The school was forced to shelter in place for a short period of time.
The teen was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"I must add this shooting did not occur within the high school at all," Chell said.
Below is a photo of the gun that was recovered from the scene of today’s incident. pic.twitter.com/rrxIhl6ocf
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 14, 2023
The suspect was apprehended in a yellow cab about a block away, and a weapon was recovered.
Chell again hailed the community involvement.
"Without the community's assistance here this morning, this would've been harder case to solve. This is truly New York City working together with our police department to take a shooter off the streets, and no further events," Chell said.