DA: Suspect Accused Of Shooting Boy, 3, 'Stashed The Gun' Before Cops Arrived
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - The Brooklyn man charged with shooting a 3-year-old boy in the head is denying the allegations.
Akeen Bernard's bail was set Sunday at $75,000. The toddler, Tharell Edward, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Bernard, 22, was charged Saturday night with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, and tampering with evidence, police announced.
Tharell's mother was out and an acquaintance was watching him when he was shot in his Flatbush apartment on East 21st Street around 3 a.m. Saturday.
The bullet, which entered the left side of the little boy's head, exited out the back.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office says Bernard showed a gun to the mother's roommate Friday night and put it in a shoebox. A court complaint says the roommate heard a gunshot and found the boy bleeding in Bernard's arms.
Prosecutors say Bernard told her to hold off calling 911 so he could "stash the gun.''
Defense lawyer Nelson Schmukler says Bernard denies the charges, loves the boy and often babysat for him.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
