The victim was shot in the arm when the gunman opened fire, as others in the waiting room ducked for cover. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
A man who opened fire inside a waiting room at a Bronx hospital, leaving a man shot in the arm while other patients and staff were sent running in fear, was sentenced to more than a decade in prison, according to the district attorney.
Keber Martinez pleaded guilty in August to a first-degree assault charge for the Jan. 25, 2022, incident inside the emergency room at Jacobi Medical Center in the Morris Park neighborhood, DA Darcel Clark said Thursday.
Dramatic surveillance video obtained by NBC New York showed a man in a black hoodie, later found to be Martinez, standing at a desk inside the hospital. Soon after, he was seen pulling out a gun and charging at another man in a red jacket, firing several times — even as other people were seated nearby.
The 25-year-old Martinez fired four shots at the victim, with one of the bullets hitting him in the left arm, according to the investigation. Others inside the waiting area had taken cover under chairs, and the suspect ran off. A trail of blood was left in the waiting room as the 35-year-old victim sought help and was taken to an operating room, where he was treated for his wounds.
"The defendant opened fire inside Jacobi’s emergency room, wounding one man and showing complete disregard for the patients and staff, with one bullet lodging in a wall close to a woman holding a baby," said Clark.
Police and sources said it appeared the victim and Martinez knew each other. The hospital was locked down temporarily as a precaution.
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About 12 hours after the shooting, Martinez was caught in Harlem, police said at the time. He was found in part because he signed in at the hospital in order to supposedly get medical treatment, complaining of asthma issues, allowing police to know who he was and track him down.
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According to an NYPD official, Martinez was arrested after his sister called 911 and reported her brother was acting erratically, had a gun and had been hearing voices.
No hospital employees were hurt during the incident.
Nearly three years later, Martinez agreed to a plea deal offering him 12 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, Clark said. Attorney information for Martinez was not immediately clear.
