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Suspect Hit With Attempted Murder, Other Charges In Shooting Of 13-Year-Old Boy In Brooklyn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police have announced charges against the man who they say allegedly fired a series of bullets on a Flatbush sidewalk this week, leaving a 13-year-old boy seriously injured.

Kareem Potomont, 21, has been charged with two counts each of attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment, police announced Friday evening.

He had been questioned for much of the day following his arrest.

He was taken into custody after being named a person of interest in the wild shootout at Beverley Road and Flatbush Avenue on Monday. Police captured the suspected shooter on surveillance video.

As CBS 2's John Slattery reported, Gama Droiville, 13, has expressed thanks from his hospital bed to all the New Yorkers who have offered words of support.

Person Of Interest Questioned In Shooting Of 13-Year-Old Boy In Brooklyn

Potomont was taken into custody in Springfield Gardens, Queens on Thursday evening. Potomont has 14 prior attests -- 13 in New York City and one in New Jersey, police sources said.

The shooting injured one 24-year-old man – the presumed target – but also hit an innocent bystander in Droiville. He was shot above the eye, and spoke to CBS 2's Lou Young on Thursday night from his bed at Kings County Hospital Center.

"I'm glad that they caught him, and that he won't be out on the streets anymore," Droiville said.

Droiville, who is a choir boy at his church, thanked New Yorkers for their outpouring of support.

"Thank you for not letting me down, and thank you for all the support and prayers," he said.

Droville described the chaotic moment. He said he heard five or seven shots before he was hit.

"Everybody was running and screaming; people falling," he said. "It was very scary. I was confused, so I stood there and that's when the bullet hit me. It hit me above my right eye and then came out the back of my head."

The young teen had been waiting for a bus with his aunt and cousin when the gunshots rang out.

"I sat down, and everyone was crying and yelling, and I just told them to relax because God was with me," he said.

A suspect police believe to be Potomont was seen on an NYPD surveillance camera. Police said he can be seen running with a gun down by his side and then raising it as he moves off-screen.

"The individual put his hood up after the shooting, but before the shooting, we got really good video of that," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said earlier this week. "Before the shooting, we've got a lot of video, and I would be willing to bet we'll make an arrest very quickly on that one."

Additional surveillance video from Flatbush Wine and Liquor shows a woman and children running for cover after the shots rang out. Seconds later, Droiville can be seen hobbling into a pizza shop for help.

The man who police believed to be the intended target was struck in the leg, authorities said. He was also hospitalized in stable condition.

Meanwhile, with Droiville still hospitalized, the prognosis for his sight remained unclear.

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