The heartbroken toddler brother of a 7-month old shot dead in a stroller is “asking for his sister” a week after the senseless murder, Brooklyn prosecutors said Tuesday.
The 2-year-old brother of slain baby Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was also grazed by a bullet as a pair of moped-riding thugs opened fire on April 1, is on the mend but struggling to recover emotionally along with a surviving sister, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told reporters at a press conference.
“He’s asking for his sister,” the top prosecutor said of the brother. “He’s been traumatized.”
Gonzalez made the gut-wrenching revelation as accused gunman Amuri Greene had his first court hearing since he was arraigned on murder charges.
A 9-year-old boy whose connection to the family was unclear was actually pushing little Kaori when Greene allegedly pulled the trigger, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Visotzky said in court.
Greene allegedly intended to shoot the little girl’s father over a gang beef between rival housing projects, law enforcement officials have said.
Visotzky called the slaying a “senseless murder,” stressing the family just wanted to enjoy “a beautiful spring day in Brooklyn on a public street that turned into an absolute nightmare for this family.”
Greene, 21, was indicted by a grand jury with three counts of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, as well as weapons and endangering the welfare of a child counts.
Greene’s alleged accomplice, moped driver Matthew Rodriguez, 18, was arrested in Pennsylvania last week after fleeing from the shooting, according to authorities.
He remains in custody across state lines, but is expected to arrive in the Big Apple by next week where he will also be arraigned on charges tied to the killing, the DA said.
“What makes this case so devastating is not only was a 7-month-old girl stolen from us, but she was not the intended target,” said Gonzalez, who grew up a couple blocks from the bloodshed.
“She was in her stroller with her 2-year-old baby brother when these gunmen driving by on a scooter recklessly shot into the crowd intending to kill a person. They will be held fully accountable.”
