Police said the shooting broke out after a dispute between two groups of teens inside a shoe store. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
Three teens have been arrested and charged in connection to a shooting at the Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn on Monday that left two other teenagers injured, according to police.
Timothy Briggs, Jaheim Covington and Omarion Harvey were arrested soon after the bullets started flying at a shoe store inside the shopping center around midday, police said.
Two teenagers, 14 and 16, suffered leg injuries following the shooting, police officials said. Based on their initial investigation, police believe the shooting was the result of a verbal argument that broke out in the store. The two victims were part of a group of six already in the store when a trio, that included the shooter, walked inside.
A dispute erupted between the two groups and the 19-year-old gunman pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the other group, police said. A picture from inside the store showed where bullets shattered a mirror, and outside at least two of the more than 10 bullets fired pierced the wall — making it onto the concourse where unsuspecting mallgoers were walking by.
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Responding officers found the younger victim around 2:30 p.m. across the street from the mall with a gunshot wound to his leg, police said. He was aided by police and transported to a nearby hospital where he was last listed in stable condition.
Police found the second victim, the 16-year-old, with a leg wound after being grazed by a bullet, according to the NYPD department.
Briggs, Covington and Harvey were arrested a few blocks away by patrolling officers who were able to match witness descriptions to those of the shooter and his companions. Two guns were also recovered. Briggs and Covington are 19 years old, while Harvey is 18.
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The alleged gunman, Briggs, was arrested in Nov. 2021 in possession of four firearms, the department said Monday. He'd been indicted and released on bail. Briggs, of the Bronx, now faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons-related charges.
The other two, Covington and Harvey, both from Brooklyn, face reckless endangerment charges. Covington also faces weapons charges, and has a previous charge from 2020 for an assault while behind bars.
Harvey faces reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct charges. Police said he has a criminal record and is known to the department, but details were unavailable.
