The 19-year-old man who was the target in a shooting that left a 15-year-old bystander in critical condition with a bullet to the head says he saw the gunfire coming, but was powerless to stop it, according to a published report.
Tyrone Creighton, who was shot in the back and the shoulder, told the Daily News that he felt awful about what happened to Vada Vasquez, who needed emergency brain surgery after the bullet shattered in her brain. She's just been taken off a ventilator, but recovery – both physical and emotional – may take some time.
Five people were arrested in connection with the shooting in the Bronx earlier this week, including a 16-year-old boy, Carvett Gentles, who was accused of pulling the trigger.
For his part, Creighton said he didn't understand why the suspects, all allegedly members of a reputed gang, went after him. But he saw it coming. Creighton told the News he saw a gun being passed around the five of them before it ended up in the clutches of Gentles, who pulled his hood over his hand and approached Creighton.
"When I saw him coming at me, I knew they were trying to kill me," Creighton told the News.
Vasquez was simply on her way home from school, Bronx Latin, when she was felled by a stray bullet and since has been fighting for her life.
"I'm so sad about what happened to her," Creighton told the News. "I feel terrible. She's innocent, like I'm innocent. I'm speaking out because that little girl deserves justice."
Authorities believe Creighton was targeted over a Rikers Island argument between one of an incarcerated gang member and one of his brothers, according to the paper.
