JERSEY CITY — Jersey City police on Tuesday arrested a 15-year-old male in connection with the shooting on Jan. 6 of another 15-year-old boy on Martin Luther King Blvd. The suspect, a Jersey City resident, was taken into custody without incident, according to police spokesperson Bob McHugh.
Police responded to the area of Myrtle Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive at about 8:25 a.m. on Jan. 6 on the report that shots had been fired.
Upon arrival, police reported seeing a small group of about five to 6 males standing on the northwest corner. A 15-year-old boy was lying on his left side and was bleeding from his right leg – apparently the result of a gunshot wound to his right calf.
The boy told police that he was on his way to Snyder High School on Bergen Avenue when he saw another boy running toward him on the same side of the street.
When the approaching boy reached Myrtle Avenue he produced a small black handgun and stated, “Now what’s up?”
The victim told police that he feared for his safety and tried to flee East on Myrtle Avenue when he heard a single shot. He collapsed and realized he had been shot.
The attacker, who wearing a black or gray jacket and beige pants, fled west on Myrtle Avenue towards Bergen Avenue.
Police said the victim was uncooperative and stated that he did not know the assailant.
Emergency Medical Technicians from Jersey City Medical Center arrived on the scene and treated the victim, before transporting him to JCMC where the victim was treated for what police called “a non-life threatening injury.” The mother of the victim arrived a short time later after being notified of the shooting by a family friend.
Police meanwhile identified the alleged assailant and issued an arrest warrant. The alleged attacker was arrested the following day without incident.