Suspect accused of firing deadly shot at 7-month-old Brooklyn girl pleads not guilty
The man accused of shooting and killing a baby girl in Brooklyn pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Wednesday.
Amuri Greene, 21, was allegedly on the back of a moped when he fired a shot that struck Kaori Patterson-Moore in her stroller on April 1 in East Williamsburg.
"On a beautiful spring day, this senseless act of gun violence took the life of an innocent baby, traumatized a family and shook an entire community," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "Little Kaori was killed, and her 2-year-old brother was wounded -- all because of a decision to settle a dispute with gunfire, with no regard for who might be harmed. With homicides in Brooklyn at a record low, this is exactly the kind of violence that we must fight against and never accept. We are determined to hold these defendants fully accountable."
Suspect faces numerous charges
Prosecutors say Greene fired multiple shots into a crowd of people at the corner of Humboldt and Moore streets in broad daylight, killing Kaori and injuring her 2-year-old brother. Then, he and the alleged driver of the moped, Matthew Rodriguez, tried to drive away, police said. They crashed into oncoming traffic, with Greene ending up in the hospital.
He is facing a host of charges, including second-degree murder, attempted murder and endangering the welfare of a child.
"This is another step towards the fulfillment of the promise that the men who stole their child's life will be held accountable," Gonzalez said Wednesday.
If convicted of murder, Greene would face 25 years to life in prison.
His next scheduled court appearance is on June 10.
Rodriguez, 18, was arraigned on the same indictment Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. A prosecutor said Rodriguez picked up the gun used in the incident after the crash and handed it back to Greene.
While Rodriguez was in court, a horse-drawn carriage drove Kaori's tiny pink casket through Brooklyn. It was accompanied by flowers in the design of Minnie Mouse, all the way to her final resting place.
Her mother, Lianna Charles Moore, previously described her daughter as always laughing, smiling and brightening her family's day.
Both suspects are being held without bail.
Gang takedown in Brownsville
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the shooting "an unspeakable tragedy" that was "motivated by and perpetrated by gangs."
Gang violence accounts for approximately 60% of all shootings across New York City, according to the NYPD.
Wednesday, the police commissioner and Brooklyn district attorney announced a takedown of two rival gangs in Brownsville.
While they are not connected to Kaori's death, the shootings follow a similar pattern – young men firing at each other in broad daylight, across playgrounds and sidewalks, as children play.
Prosecutors said this investigation includes three dozen shootings, with 11 victims and one person killed over the last three years.
"These takedowns, I think, do exactly what they're supposed to do – take the most violent people off the street," Gonzalez said.
All 36 people indicted in the operation will now be listed in the NYPD's gang database, which Tisch said "helps detectives identify the people most prone to violence and anticipate where retaliation is most likely to occur."
