Teen falsely accused in deadly drive-by shooting in Allerton, the Bronx speaks out after charges dropped
A teenager falsely accused in a deadly drive-by shooting in the Bronx last month is speaking out after charges against him were dropped.
"It was crazy to me. I'm not gonna lie, I was waiting for the court date so I could really find out. But when I found out early, it just had me in a little bit of shock, so I was happy," the teenager told Eyewitness News.
The 18-year-old from East Tremont had no shortage of family support during a September court appearance in Bronx Criminal Court. His next court date was canceled after getting the unexpected good news.
"After careful consideration, those charges have been dismissed ," announced Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark during a Monday press conference.
Eyewitness News is not identifying the falsely accused teen by name, who was a victim in a car crash and then arrested from his hospital bed back in September. The teen was hit with felony and misdemeanor weapons charges for a gun and ammunition he didn't even know existed.
"My boy didn't even know why he was being arrested. He was in there, they were arresting him and he didn't know why," the teen's father said.
The father contacted Eyewitness News for help after seeing exclusive surveillance video of the minivan his son was driving being struck by a gray Honda with five alleged gang members fleeing the scene of a deadly drive-by shooting in the Allerton section of the Bronx. A passenger was ejected, while guns and ammunition were scattered all over the street.
The teen was accused of weapons possession for a gun that landed next to the minivan and for a clip and two bullets that flew inside of the vehicle.
"I'd never been in that type of situation, so I had no clue where to start, how to continue and how to finish," he said.
The car was totaled in the accident and the teen spent five nights in custody until he was ultimately released to the custody of his parents.
"We had to take our time. I wasn't going to rush it, but I also was going to make sure that I didn't ignore what his family was saying," Clark said.
Clark provided an update on the case Monday afternoon, while announcing indictments in the fatal drive-by shooting.
"I heard from Channel 7 first. Yes, I heard from Channel 7 first actually, and I called the Legal Aid to see if it's true and she stated yeah, that this is true," the teen's father said.
The recent high school graduate is now trying to refocus on his number one goal.
"That's why I graduated with plumbing and I wanted to go deeper with plumbing, so I could be able to provide more for everybody in my family and help my father out," the teen said.
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