An 18-year-old Brooklyn man has been charged with attempted murder and attempted assault for allegedly shooting a 5-year-old girl in the head as she played with her siblings on a sidewalk in East New York.
On April 5, 2021, East New York resident Omar Gelin, 18, allegedly opened fire at least six times at an unknown man walking on the sidewalk near Dumont and Montauk Avenues, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
The shots missed their intended target, striking a 5-year-old girl as she played with her siblings on the sidewalk moments after leaving her mother's car. The girl told her mother she was in pain, and her mother saw she was bleeding from a cut on her head, the DA's office said. The girl was treated at Brookdale Hospital.
Officers at the 75th Precinct recovered video surveillance footage that allegedly shows Gelin getting out of a silver Nissan Versa, removing a gun from the trunk of the car and firing multiple rounds at the unknown man on the sidewalk. The video also allegedly shows him placing a firearm back in the trunk of the car, getting in the driver's seat and driving away.
The Nissan Versa Gelin was allegedly seen driving belongs to his father, Gonzalez said. Following the shooting, Gelin fled to South Carolina and was arrested by police officers assigned to the 75th Precinct on April 28.
"This defendant allegedly opened fire multiple times in broad daylight without any concern for the lives he was putting in danger," Gonzalez said.
"It is very fortunate that this young victim did not lose her life and that none of her siblings were hurt. We will never tolerate such reckless gun violence in Brooklyn that far too often jeopardizes the lives of innocent bystanders and will now work to bring this defendant to justice." Gelin was released on $100,000 bail and ordered to return to court on July 27. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.
