A Bronx man was charged earlier this month for shooting into an MTA bus in Queens and faces up to 25 years in prison.
On Aug. 6, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Melvin Adams, 43, of the Bronx, was charged with assault and other crimes for allegedly shooting into an MTA bus, striking two passengers and shattering the front windshield on Aug. 5 in Jamaica, Queens.
“We can’t live in a world where a petty dispute on the street between strangers end ups with innocent people getting shot at on a City bus,” Katz said. “The alleged, brazen conduct of the defendant is another example of why my office has made such a high priority of getting guns off the street.”
Adams was charged with first-degree attempted assault, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a firearm.
According to the investigation, Adams was on 148th Street and Jamaica Avenue, at approximately 8:55 a.m. when he and a stranger walking by had a heated exchange of words. Adams walked across the street and was observed crouching down and then reaching into a backpack. The defendant allegedly pulled out a black pistol, pointed it towards the man on the street he’d been arguing with and fired three shots.
One of the bullets struck a 66-year-old passenger on the MTA Q8 in the shoulder who was transported to a local hospital.
Additionally, a 20-year-old was shot and treated for a shattered bone in his hand from a bullet fragment that remains in his hand.
A New York City police officer at the location also allegedly observed the defendant firing a pistol, and then saw Adams begin to walk quickly down the street away from the scene. The cop arrested him with the backpack and allegedly recovered a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol with one round in the chamber and 11 rounds of ammunition in the magazine. An additional magazine with 15 rounds of ammunition was also allegedly recovered from the backpack.
