A teenager from South Jamaica is facing up to 25 years to life in prison after he was criminally charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy in Cambria Heights after he turned himself in at the 105th Precinct in Queens Village on Friday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Saturday.
The 16-year-old, who was wanted for questioning, was accompanied by his attorney when he surrendered just before noon on Sept. 26, a day after the NYPD circulated surveillance images of him holding a handgun as he ran from the scene of the crime. The teenager was arraigned Saturday morning in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, both armed felony offenses.
The teenager was the subject of an intense NYPD manhunt since the morning of Monday, Sept. 22, after Sanjay Samuel, of 226th Street in Springfield Gardens, was shot in the side of his head in the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts at 208-15 Linden Blvd.
According to the charges, the victim was on his way to school when he stopped to hang out with some friends in the parking lot at around 8:15 a.m., when he was approached by the defendant who rode up on a scooter and exchanged words with Samuel. The verbal dispute escalated into violence when the defendant allegedly pulled out a loaded semi-automatic handgun and pistol-whipped Samuel in his face. The youngster fought back and punched his attacker. During the fight, the defendant aimed the weapon at Samuel’s head and fired the gun one time, striking Samuel in the side of his head with a bullet. The defendant ran back to his scooter, while still holding the firearm, and rode off southbound on Nashville Boulevard toward Francis Lewis Boulevard.
EMS responded to the location and rushed Samuel to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Glen Oaks, where he was listed in critical condition. He remained in a coma on life support with no sign of brain activity for two days. Samuel succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
“Losing a 13-year-old to gun violence is tragic under any circumstance,” Katz said. “As alleged, what should have been another day for school turned deadly when the defendant pulled out a gun and fired into the 13-year-old victims head. This decision not only took the young victim’s life but now has severely altered the defendant’s future.”
The defendant was arraigned before Judge Eugene D. Bowen who remanded him into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on Sept. 29. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“This case is an example of the senseless gun violence that endangers public safety and takes the lives of too many of our children,” Katz said.
Editor’s note: The victim was not a student at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village. We regret the error.
