A New York City man who was out on bail for possession of an illegal firearm and was on parole for a prior gun-crime conviction walked up to a random 13-year-old boy and shot him in the neck on Tuesday.
Fox News reported that 36-year-old Hubert Wiggs “was not only out on parole for a 2010 firearms and illegal drug conviction,” but “also out on bail for possession of an illegal firearm in 2019” when he shot the child.
In a press conference on Tuesday, NYPD Assistant Chief Kenneth Lehr made a point to mention that Wiggs was out on bail when he shot the 13-year-old boy.
“So this individual today is on the street while on parole for a firearm, while out on bail for another firearm,” Lehr told reporters. “And today he’s walking around the Bronx with a firearm. And we have a 13-year-old boy shot in the neck, and for the grace of God he’s alive here today.”
Lehr added that this is not the first incident like this and that it “should not have happened.”
As Fox reported: “A controversial bail reform law New York implemented in January 2020 made release before trial automatic for most people accused of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. Authorities have said the law has made it difficult to keep criminals off the streets and that suspects are routinely released for serious crimes.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted that “1 inch to the side & this is a very different story.”
“Imagine that’s your child, on their way to school, only to be hit with a bullet fired by a criminal who’s: out on a pending 2019 GUN case, AND he’s already on parole for a prior WEAPONS conviction. Today, AGAIN w/ a gun,” Shea added.
More from Fox:
The shooting happened just after 7:30 a.m. on East 223rd Street, near Bronxwood Avenue in the Bronx, police said. The boy was walking to a train station on his way to school in Manhattan when Wiggs allegedly met him in the middle of the street and fired one shot, striking the boy in the neck.
The boy initially kept walking until he realized he was injured and looked for help, sources told FOX5 New York. He was rushed to Jacobi Hospital.
Officers arrived at the scene and saw a man quickly put something on the ground and pick it up, police said. Officers quickly determined the object was a gun and ordered the man to drop the firearm.
Wiggs was taken into custody without incident. Police recovered a six-shot revolver at the scene.
According to the outlet, Wiggs faces numerous charges relating to the shooting of the child, including “attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.”
The controversial bail reform almost immediately showed problems, prompting Democrats to consider changes one week after it was implemented.