Ex-con fired at foe, hit kid, 5, in head: cops
A Bronx parolee is the man who shot a 5-year-old birthday boy in the head while aiming at a rival who had gotten the better of him in a fight, law-enforcement sources said Tuesday.
Michael Quiles, 27, a Morrisania resident with a mile-long rap sheet, has been charged with attempted murder in the Monday shooting of Jaheem Hunter (inset).
Quiles was still smarting from the beating he took last week when he spotted his assailant on Washington Avenue and tried to exact revenge, according to the sources.
He fired at his foe, but instead hit Jaheem as the youngster was walking with his mom and dad out of 1138 Washington Ave. at around 5:15 p.m., police said.
The bullet lodged in Jaheem’s skull, leaving him in critical condition Tuesday at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, officials said.
Quiles, whose street nickname is “White Boy,” was paroled on Oct. 13 after having served about 5½ years of an eight-year sentence for attempted kidnapping in Albany County, according to state prison records.
The career criminal has arrests going back to age 16 for offenses that include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and criminal possession of marijuana, controlled substances and weapons.
A friend of Quiles insisted, “He’s a nice person.”
Until recently, Quiles lived just down the block from the scene of the shooting.
David Green, 53, a superintendent at his former building, was pleased that an arrest had been made.
“If he’s the one that did it, I am relieved that he’s been arrested,” Green said. “He’s got to pay for it. Any crime against children, there’s got to be justice.”
Green said he was crushed to learn that a little boy had been struck by gunfire.
“I’ve got children. I’ve got grandchildren,” he said. “Anything that happens to little children, my heart goes out to the family.”
Neighbor Dilcia Morera, 39, who has a 3-year-old daughter, said she’s still worried about safety on her block.
“We’re not safe right now. I would like to move from here as soon as possible,” she said.
“I’m inside all day with my daughter. I don’t feel safe bringing her outside.”