(DailyVantage.com) – A 15-year-old migrant from Venezuela has been arrested and charged over the shooting of a tourist in New York City.
The suspect has been identified as Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa. Rivas-Figueroa, who lives with his mother at a migrant center in the Upper East Side in the so-called “sanctuary city,” was found hiding behind a dresser at a residence in Yonkers when police showed up to arrest him. He had reportedly attempted to flee the city with his mother but was unsuccessful. Authorities say that the teen has been in the U.S. since September.
According to law enforcement, Rivas-Figueroa was caught on CCTV firing a gun inside a sporting goods store in Times Square after he was caught shoplifting and was confronted by security over his possession of stolen items. He then fired his gun, hitting one customer in the leg.
Rivas-Figueroa reportedly then attempted to run away from police who responded to the incident, also firing his gun in public at pursuing officers, regardless of “who he might hit or who he might kill,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban told reporters during a press conference. The suspect managed to elude police by fleeing into the subway.
In light of his being a flight risk and “significant ties” outside the U.S., Rivas-Figueroa is being held without bail. He has been charged as an adult and is facing two counts of attempted murder as well as criminal possession of a weapon.
The shooting victim was a 38-year-old tourist from Brazil, who had reportedly already received treatment at a hospital and returned to Brazil by the time the police apprehended the suspect.
The suspect is also accused of being behind another shooting in Midtown as well as an armed robbery of a jewelry store in the Bronx in January. No one was reported injured or killed during these incidents.
The arrest comes after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was blasted for its lax treatment of migrants involved in crimes after five migrants who assaulted police officers responding to an incident of disorderly conduct near a migrant housing center were released on bail, allowing the suspects to flee New York City.
Copyright 2024, DailyVantage.com
