Two juveniles have been charged in connection with a shooting that left a 17-year-old injured in the Village of Liberty, police announced Wednesday.
According to the Village of Liberty Police Department, officers responded to South Main Street at approximately 10:15 p.m. on May 30 after receiving a report of a gunshot victim. Officers found a 17-year-old male with an apparent gunshot wound to his foot and provided emergency medical aid, including applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Police said the victim had been shot at twice. One bullet struck his foot, while a second bullet hit a backpack he was wearing, narrowly missing his body.
Authorities immediately launched a search for two suspects who fled the scene on foot. The search, which included assistance from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and a New York State Police K-9 unit, did not locate the suspects that night.
Investigators later identified the suspects as a 15-year-old male from Monticello and a 16-year-old male from Liberty. Police said officers and investigators from the Liberty Police Department and New York State Police spent the next 60 hours searching residences connected to the juveniles, interviewing friends and family members, and pursuing other investigative leads.
Both juveniles surrendered to the Liberty Police Department at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The juveniles were each charged with first-degree assault, a Class B violent felony, and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Class C violent felonies.
The 16-year-old was arraigned in the Youth Part of Sullivan County Court before Judge E. Danielle Jose-Decker. Following a request by Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty, the juvenile was remanded to the custody of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and ordered held in a secure juvenile detention facility pending further court proceedings.
The 15-year-old was arraigned before Judge Jacqueline Ricciani. Despite a similar request from the district attorney’s office, the juvenile was released under the supervision of the Sullivan County Probation Department and his legal guardian. He is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
In a statement, Liberty Police Chief Steven D’Agata praised the work of law enforcement personnel involved in the investigation and thanked the district attorney’s office for its assistance.
“I want to commend the hard work of the officers and detectives who relentlessly pursued leads to identify and ultimately charge these incredibly dangerous individuals. I would also like to thank District Attorney Brian Conaty, along with the assistant district attorneys and investigators, for devoting the time, attention, and resources that this violent act in our community deserved.”
D’Agata also expressed concerns about New York’s juvenile justice system, arguing that current laws do not adequately address violent juvenile offenders. He cited the release of the 15-year-old defendant as an example and called for changes to the state’s approach to juvenile crime.
Image Credit: Village of Liberty Police