16-Year-Old Arrested In Connection To Times Square Shooting That Left Marine Wounded
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The NYPD says a teenager has been charged in the shooting in Times Square last week that left a Marine wounded.
Police say the juvenile turned himself in Wednesday.
The 16-year-old has been charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Sources say the shooting may have started as an argument between two groups of unlicensed vendors or street performers on West 45th Street.
The suspected gunman allegedly aimed for one person in the group, but the bullet ricocheted and hit the 21-year-old Samuel Poulin, a Marine from Upstate New York.
Police said the suspect was aiming for someone in a group of six men, but a bullet ricocheted and hit 21-year-old Samuel Poulin instead.
Poulin was taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"The Citadel family — in Charleston, South Carolina and around the world — is greatly saddened to learn about what happened to our Class of 2021 graduate, 2nd Lt. Samuel Poulin in Times Square on Sunday when he was hit by a bullet from a shooting event unrelated to him. We are encouraged that he is reported to be in stable condition are sending our prayers and our love to his new wife and his family," Citadel President Gen. Glenn M. Walters said in a statement last week.
Walters said Poulin holds a Bachelor's degree in physics, was a President's List cadet and "exemplifies the kind of principled leader The Citadel strives to produce."
Last month, three innocent bystanders were hit by stray bullets a block away from Sunday's crime scene. Among those injured were a 4-year-old girl and a tourist.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD announced last week they are deploying more uniformed and undercover officers to the area.
"Times Square Safety Action Plan to make sure that anyone who goes to Times Square knows they're safe and they're going to see plenty of police presence in Times Square," the mayor said.
"The different strategy going forward is now we are going to be engaging these individuals that are selling or panhandling these CDs," NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said.