A 16-year-old boy was charged Sunday night with opening fire at the Bryant Park ice skating rink, which left two people wounded. Corey Dunton of the Bronx was charged as an adult with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, CBS New York reports.
Cops arrested Dunton after an hour-long standoff at his apartment building. The teen boasted about his criminal activity--and hinted about causing trouble at Bryant Park prior to the shooting--on his Facebook page, according to The New York Daily News.
Sources said that the suspect has a criminal history, including arrests for robberies. Dunton opened fire after he insisted that the victim give up his Marmot coat, police said.
The gunfire occurred at 11 p.m. Saturday night. A 14-year-old boy identified as Adonis Mera was struck in the back, and a 20-year-old man who was identified as Javier Contreras was hit in the arm. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital with their ice skates still on.
While Contreras' injury is not believed to be life-threatening, the teen who was struck in the back may be paralyzed. Police believe he was an innocent bystander. More than 200 people were at the rink at the time of the shooting.
Police were looking for a black male with dreadlocks who was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt. It was believed that he was targeting the older victim for his coat.
Witnesses said that they heard three gunshots, then people ran for cover in nearby tents and holiday shopping booths, with some people still wearing their ice skates. "I think at first, it was a little bit of a lull, like, 'Was that gunshot?'" a witness said, who preferred to remain anonymous. "And then all of a sudden, you hear over the employees' radios, 'Shots fired.' And everyone... it was just a stampede. It was everyone for themselves."
"All of a sudden you heard, bop, bop, bop - three shots," said Frank Frachi of Queens.
"People were pushing each other - somebody kicked somebody to get out of the way," said Joe Feliciano, also of Queens.
"People were hiding in the bathroom," added witness Dina Nordelin. "People were exiting out with their skates on. I mean, not everyone was in the skating rink yet. Security was trying to get everyone out."
In Morningside Heights on Sunday, friends of the seriously wounded teen were shaken by the news. "He's always been a good kid. He don't get into no trouble. He likes to skate," said Juan Morales.
The rink reopened on Sunday morning, but the previous night's incident still lingered over the normally jovial holiday village. Traces of blood could still be seen on the ice.
Bryant Park officials tried to reassure visitors that the Winter Village is safe.
"Our hearts go out to the wounded and their families, and to those who were at the park during that time," park officials said in a Facebook post. "We are cooperating fully with authorities, who agree that it is safe to reopen."
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