Elderly man charged in shooting teenager

BRIDEBURG – A 74-year-old man who was apparently sick of teenagers drinking in an empty lot was taken into custody in connection with the Saturday night shooting of a 14-year-old.

Police responded to a shots-fired call in the 4400 block of Richmond St. where they found a teen with a single gunshot wound to the stomach. Before he was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital, the victim told police he was in a group off nearby Garden Street where an older white male approached, “told them he was tired of them drinking in the lot area” and fired several shots, but missed. While fleeing, the victim ran into the alleged shooter, who didn’t miss that time.

Police found a man matching the description as the victim was still being treated on the scene. According to a police report, “he was positively identified the offender as the person who had shot the victim.” Yesterday afternoon, police said the young victim couldn’t be interviewed because of his injuries. Neither the victim’s nor alleged shooter’s identities were available.