WEST FARMS — A Bronx man who accidentally shot a 3-year-old boy while trying to shoot at another man in a park in the summer of 2013 faces up to 45 years in prison for the crime, according to the Bronx District Attorney's office.
Alexis Tatis, 29, was charged with two counts of attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon for shooting Shane Schoffner and a 3-year-old bystander inside Vidalia Park in West Farms on the evening of Aug. 30, 2013, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
Tatis left the park that day after getting into a fistfight with Schoffner and returned shortly at about 5:45 p.m. with a semi-automatic pistol, according to the DA and court documents.
He fired four shots, hitting Schoffner, who was 34, in the leg and striking the 3-year-old in the arm, according to prosecutors.
The boy, who is now 6, gave unsworn testimony at Tatis' trial, which lasted for two weeks and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Susanna Imbo.
The jury convicted Tatis on Tuesday, and he is scheduled for sentencing on March 24. He faces 3.5 to 15 years in prison for each count, meaning he could be locked up for as long as 45 years.
“This defendant fired gunshots in a crowded park on a summer night, and he wounded a little boy who was just enjoying a walk with his sister and grandmother," Clark said in a statement. "[The child] bravely told his story in court, and now the gunman could face many years in prison for his callous disregard for life.”
