Two teenagers are accused of using a BB gun to shoot a school custodian in the leg yesterday afternoon. According to police, the suspects began firing shots into the schoolyard at P.S. 2 on Henry Street at around 1 p.m.
According to the Daily News, Cleveland Williams was taking out the garbage when the incident happened. He was treated at the scene; no kids were hurt. Cops arrested two suspects, 14 and 15 years old, in 125 Henry Street, an apartment across the street. They face weapons and assault charges. It’s unknown whether they’ll be charged as adults.
Police say a sizable cache of weapons were found in the apartment, including a blow dart gun, knives, nunchuks, and a rifle. In recent weeks, P.S. 2 teacher Betty Cepero told WNBC, she noticed pellet marks on her car and school windows have been cracked. A WNBC source said windows have been shot out at Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, the Jewish day school on East Broadway. Police are trying to determine if the teens are responsible for the incidents at both schools.
Referring to the shooting of the janitor yesterday, P.S. 2 Principal Brett Gustafson told the Post, “It wasn’t a major injury but there is a concern that it happened at all… If they’re going to shoot at a janitor, what’s to stop them from shooting at kids.” He said police had been called to the school following similar incidents several times in recent weeks.
The father of one of the suspects apologized, saying, “he is a good guy,” adding, “I ask the janitor to forgive my son.”
