On the evening of Nov. 9, a shooting occurred at the Bryant Park skating rink in Manhattan, a popular attraction for tourists and locals that is located behind the New York Public Library. Despite an estimated 300 people skating on the rink at the time, the shots only injured two. After the incident, police took a teenager into custody on charges of attempted murder.
Police claim that the incident arose out of an attempted robbery. They say that the accused youth approached a 20-year-old man and asked the man to hand over his coat. The older man refused. The teenager then reportedly left the rink, returned with a gun and opened fire. The shots hit the man in the arm and a 14-year-old bystander in the back. The accused boy apparently did not have any prior relationship with the man, and police believe that the 14-year-old was not hit intentionally. It did not appear that the alleged injuries were life threatening.
Police held the young man on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, assault and attempted murder. He may also be charged with attempted robbery. He will be charged as an adult.
The criminal justice system can be scary and confusing for adults. It may be even more so for a child. A criminal defense attorney may able to help explain the process in an effort to ease the child’s distress. When there are multiple charges, it may be possible to arrange for a guilty plea on some charges in order to have others dismissed. When the charges are harsher than those suggested by the evidence, an attorney may try to have them reduced.
Source: CBS News, New York Ice-Rink Shooting: Robbery attempt led to gunfire that injured 2 people
