16-Year-Old Girl Speaks Out After Being Nearly Killed By Stray Bullet; Another Teen Faces Attempted Murder Charges
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A 16-year-old boy faces attempted murder charges following a stray bullet shooting that wounded a teenage girl in Queens.
Ashley Ermoogan still has a bullet lodged in her shoulder after being struck Monday while leaving New Dawn Charter High School on 161st Street in Jamaica.
Ashley spoke out about the shooting Thursday.
EXCLUSIVE: Father Speaks After Daughter Is Nearly Killed By Stray Bullet
"I felt something hit me. It didn't feel like a bullet," she said. "I looked at my shoulder and I saw blood, and I started screaming."
Two days before and two miles away, 14-year-old Aamir Griffin was playing basketball when he was fatally shot. Police believe the shooter was more than 100 yards away and the intended target was a different teen.
Police believe the shooters in both cases are members of a gang at war with another gang, going from place to place looking to retaliate with slashings and shootings.
"We know exactly who we are after with this crew violence," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said.
Related: 14-Year-Old Shot And Wounded In The Bronx, 3rd Child Struck By Gunfire In One Week
Three are charged in Ermoogan's case, although the names of those charged were not released. Police say some or all fired shots on a bus an hour before.
While Griffin's killer has not been arrested or charged, police sources told CBS2 there is evidence linking that crime to the others.
Top brass at NYPD talked about community frustration over gangs and finding more effective programs to help them get out of that life.
"We've got to continue to work hard to stomp out some of this crew violence," said NYPD Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison.
The NYPD is partnering with groups that provide after-school athletics and other outreach programs. Still, in the past 28 days, there were 10 people shot in the same area, compared to three for the same period last year.
"I think we have had a gang problem for a long time," de Blasio said. "I think the NYPD has done a fantastic job undermining gangs, taking them down. We are going to be doing a lot more of that."
"Kids think they are playing a game, but it's not a game," he added.
Ermoogan says she needs to know steps are being taken to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
The 16-year-old suspect in Monday's shooting was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. It's still unclear who's responsible for Saturday's deadly shooting.
