A Brooklyn man was arrested along with three teenagers in connection to the shooting of an innocent bystander in Ridgewood on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Tyler Thomas, 23, of Wilson Avenue in Bushwick — just over the Queens border with Brooklyn — was taken into custody with three 17-year-old boys, who were not identified because they are minors, for allegedly opening fire in front of 10-80 Wyckoff Ave. When the suspects were booked at the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood on Wednesday morning, they were charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment.
Thomas was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Wednesday night on a complaint charging him with criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degree, both felony offenses, and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was not charged with attempted murder but that could change as the investigation remains ongoing, according to a law enforcement source. The arraignment of the minors is pending.
According to the criminal complaint, a 23-year-old woman was waiting for her tattoo appointment in front of 10-80 Wyckoff Ave, at around 2:20 p.m. when she heard gunshots and saw a vehicle speeding away. She felt pain in her leg and fell to the ground.
Police from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress and found the victim lying on the sidewalk, conscious and alert, with excessive bleeding from three gunshot wounds to her legs. EMS responded to the location and rushed the wounded bystander to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where it was discovered that the victim had a major blood vessel injury to her right pelvic area that required surgery, according to the criminal complaint.
Back at the crime scene in Ridgewood, a detective from the 104th Precinct was told by an eyewitness that he heard the sound of gunshots and saw two individuals holding firearms as they got into a gray Nissan Rogue with extensively tinted windows, dirty exterior, and no front license plate.
Crime scene investigators recovered seven 40-caliber shell casings on the ground, one round of 40-caliber ammunition in the middle of the street and an additional round of 40-caliber ammo that lodged in a wooden beam of 10-80 Wyckoff Ave.
Less than an hour after the shooting, a cop from the 90th Precinct in Brooklyn spotted the gray Nissan Rogue at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Olive Street in East Williamsburg, nearly three miles west of the crime scene. He saw Thomas and the teens getting out of the vehicle and took them into custody. A detective from the NYPD Auto Crimes Unit executed a search warrant on the vehicle early Wednesday morning and recovered one Glock pistol from under the rear seat. She also recovered one magazine containing 27 rounds of 40-caliber ammo. The detective also recovered a bottle containing 46 oxycodone pills.
Thomas was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Glenda Hernandez, who set bail at $60,000 cash, $200,000 bond and $200,000 partially secured bond and ordered him to return to court on Feb. 23.
