Brooklyn Man Charged In Connection With Shooting Of Knicks' Cleanthony Early
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Brooklyn man has been arrested in connection with the Dec. 30 shooting of Knicks forward Cleanthony Early.
Delvon Dowling, 22, allegedly told federal agents he was part of a robbery crew that staked out the CityScapes Gentleman's Club in Maspeth, Queens, with the intention of robbing someone, CBS News reported.
Dowling was arrested at his home April 1 for an unrelated charge and implicated himself in the Early shooting, authorities said. He is the first person to be charged in connection with the incident.
Moments after Early left the club at around 4:30 a.m., as many as three vehicles boxed in the Uber cab he was in, and a group of masked, armed men jumped out and confronted him, robbing him of items that included gold chains and gold caps on his teeth, police said.
Early was then shot in the leg. He got back into the Uber car with the driver, and they went around the corner, where they started knocking on doors for help.
He was treated at Elmhurst Hospital and released later that morning.
According to a criminal complaint, which did not mention Early by name, Dowling left the robbery scene with two cellphones, which he sold for $40.
Early, a 24-year-old Bronx native who starred in college at Wichita State, was cleared to play again in early March and returned to the Knicks' lineup March 20.
"I'm very fortunate," he said then. "You just go through certain experiences, certain adversities, certain trials. Just keep your head up, get smarter, work harder and just learn from the past."
Early has played in 13 games this season and is averaging 1.2 points per games.
