A Queens grand jury indicted a South Jamaica teenager on murder and other charges related to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Sanjay Samuel in the parking lot of a Cambria Heights Dunkin’ Donuts as the youngster walked to school in September.
The 16-year-old was arraigned Oct. 9 in Queens Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and was ordered held without bail.
“The shooting death of Sanjay Samuel shocked our city,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “As alleged, the 13-year-old victim was senselessly murdered by another teenager who pulled out a gun and fired a round into Samuel ‘s head.”
According to the charges, on the morning of Monday, Sept. 22, Samuel, of 226th Street in Springfield Gardens, was on his way to school at 8:15 a.m. and was passing in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts shop at 208-15 Linden Blvd. when he stopped to talk with some friends. The defendant approached the victim on a scooter, and the two teens began arguing. The 16-year-old pulled out a loaded semi-automatic firearm from the front pocket of his sweatshirt and pistol-whipped the youngster in the face. Samuel fought back and punched his attacker.
During the altercation, 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 charges state. The defendant ran back to his scooter, while still holding the firearm, and rode off southbound on Nashville Boulevard toward Francis Lewis Boulevard.
Police from the 105th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a boy shot at the location and found Samuel lying on the pavement with a gunshot wound to the side of his head. EMS rushed him to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, 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.
The South Jamaica teen was the subject of an intense police manhunt, and a day after the NYPD released a surveillance image of the defendant running to his scooter while holding the firearm, he surrendered at the 105th Precinct, accompanied by an attorney on Saturday, Sept. 26.
At his Oct. 9 arraignment, Queens Supreme Court Justice Bruna Dibiase continued remand and ordered the defendant to return to court on Nov. 21. If convicted of the top count, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“The 16-year-old defendant is now indicted on murder charges for this completely senseless act of violence and faces up to 25 years to life in prison,” Katz said. “My office will continue to invest in youth services, while also holding to account those who choose to inflict gun violence in our communities.”
