MANHATTAN — The father of a Harlem football star who was stabbed to death in a Bronx parking garage after his high school graduation was indicted for allegedly sparking the fight that led to the bloodshed, authorities said.
Andre Muller, 40, was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted in connection with the tragic incident this past June that left his son Isayah, 19, dead.
Neither of the garage attendants involved in the altercation, part of which was caught on video, were charged in the case.
The decision to indict drew a strong rebuke from Muller's attorney, Lawrence Fredella.
"Mr. Muller, his family, and I are all deeply disturbed by the way the Bronx County District Attorney's Office has handled this entire case," he said. "Mr. Muller was the only person arrested and charged in this incident. This is a grave error by the NYPD and the [DA].
"Every citizen in this city should be disturbed by the course of action taken here by law enforcement."
Prosecutors say that Andre Muller whacked attendant Ramon Hernandez in his right arm with a shovel, leaving him with an injury that required several stitches. The grand jury alleged that he had "intent to cause serious physical injury to another person."
The confrontation erupted just hours after Isayah Muller, a standout for Truman High School, graduated.
As the family headed out to celebrate, Andre Muller realized that a bottle of expensive cologne had gone missing from their car and headed back to the garage, M. T. Jerome Town Corp.
There Muller, who is free on $10,000 bail, allegedly confronted the attendants, hitting Hernandez with a shovel and sparking a vicious fight.
Prosecutors said that Isayah, who lived in the Jefferson Houses on East 115th Street, was stabbed to death when he tried to intervene.
The teen helped lead Truman HS to its first PSAL bowl victory last November.
