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14-Year-Old Charged With Murder in Bus Shooting of Brooklyn Dad

By Jess Wisloski | March 22, 2014 4:21pm
 Kahton Anderson, 14, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Angel Rojas, prosecutors said. Rojas was on his way to a second job when Anderson opened fire at a group of gang rivals, striking him in the back of the head, police said.
14-Year-Old Charged in Murder of Angel Rojas on City Bus
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BROOKLYN — The teenager suspected of opening fire on a B15 city bus in a bid to shoot a group of gang rivals, but instead killing a father of two, was arraigned on murder charges Friday night, officials said.

Prosecutors opted to charge Kathon Anderson, a 14-year-old suspected member of the Stack Money Goons gang, as an adult rather than a juvenile in family court.

Anderson, who has prior arrests for assault, was sitting near innocent bystander Angel Rojas, 39 — who was on his way to his second job when members of the rival gang Tuan boarded the bus at 6:20 p.m, police said. One of the men in the group approached Anderson, prompting him to pull out his .357 Magnum and open fire, investigators said.

Anderson missed his target, instead fatally striking Rojas in the back of the head, police said. The Tuan gang members fled the bus with Anderson in pursuit, continuing to fire at them, police said. He was caught soon after, police said.

At his arraignment Friday night, Anderson was ordered held without bail and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office said.  

Anderson “made statements to police shortly after being arrested, admitting his participation in the crime,” Brooklyn prosecutor Lindsay Gerdes said in court, the NY Daily News reported.

The shooting may have been sparked by gang-related taunting on social media, a common gang practice, sources said.

Reached for comment, Anderson's mother called her son “a good kid,” the News reported, adding that she was praying for Rojas' family.