Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - 18-year-old Cecelia Medina faces charges of attempted murder, attempted assault and weapons charges in connection with a weekend shooting in the City of Buffalo.
Prosecutors say Medina fired several shots into an occupied vehicle on Bailey Avenue near Pullman Place on Saturday afternoon. The two people in the vehicle were not shot, but contacted police.
A 53-year-old woman standing near a window inside her apartment was wounded, and is at Erie County Medical Center getting treatment for a wound to her abdomen.
Police say officers saw Medina, matching the descriptions provided by the targeted victims, running away from the scene with an illegal handgun.
They add while being finger printed at Buffalo Police Central Booking, Medina signed her name as Cecilia Speed, and changed her birthday in an attempt to defraud police and conceal her real identity.
She was arraigned in Buffalo City Court on Monday on the following charges:
- One count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (Class "B" violent felony);
- Two counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree (Class "C" violent felonies);
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class "C" violent felony);
- One count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree (Class "D" felony);
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (Class "D" felony).
Medina is scheduled to return to court on Friday, June 28 at 9:30 a.m. ET for a felony hearing. She was held without bail.
If convicted of the highest charge, Medina faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
"The defendant is accused of injuring an innocent bystander while firing shots at an occupied vehicle in the middle of the afternoon. Thankfully, the victim survived and no one else was injured. I commend the members of the Buffalo Police who quickly responded to the scene and apprehended the suspect. Gun-related violence will not be tolerated," said Acting Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane in a statement. "I encourage anyone with information on individuals in possession of illegal weapons to contact my office or the Buffalo Police Department."
