NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Bronx man was convicted for shooting into a Queens MTA bus and injuring two passengers after missing his intended target, prosecutors said Monday.
According to the charges, Melvin Adams walked past a 25-year-old man he didn't know on Jamaica Avenue near 148th Street on Aug. 5, 2021, around 8:55 a.m.
Adams, 45, approached the pedestrian because he didn't like the way the man was looking at him, prosecutors said.
He then pulled an illegal .40-caliber pistol out of his backpack and fired three shots at the man's back, but he missed and instead shot an MTA Q8 bus stopped nearby.
A bullet pierced the bus windshield, grazing a 66-year-old man, while the same bullet struck a 20-year-old man in his arm, shattering his humerus bone.
Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The 66-year-old sustained a laceration to his shoulder and had glass fragments removed from his body. The 20-year-old needed reconstructive orthopedic surgery to remove bullet fragments and repair his arm with a 10-inch metal plate and screws.
A police officer witnessed the shooting and reported the incident. Within minutes of the shooting, Adams was arrested a block from the scene in possession of a backpack containing the loaded Smith & Wesson handgun used in the shooting.
The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber and 11 rounds of ammunition in an unlawful high-capacity magazine. A second illegal high-capacity magazine with an additional 15 rounds of ammunition was also recovered from the backpack.
Adams was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment.
"No one should have to worry about being shot at when riding the bus," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "The jury convicted this defendant for recklessly firing his gun on a busy thoroughfare and he will have to pay for what he did."
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