MIDTOWN — A teen who opened fire during a fight over a coat at the Bryant Park skating rink, leaving a teenage boy paralyzed from the waist down now faces 25 years behind bars after being convicted by a jury on Wednesday.
Cory Dunton, 19, fired multiple shots into the crowded rink on Nov. 9, 2013, hitting a man who refused to give him his Marmot coat and also striking then 14-year-old Adonis Mera in the spine, paralyzing his legs.
“Cory Dunton unleashed a hail of bullets into the Bryant Park skating rink, seriously injuring two young men and sending a wave of panic through a crowd of more than 200 people,” said District Attorney Cy Vance in a statement.
“He has now been held accountable for this brutal and reckless shooting, which may have permanently robbed a teenager of the use of his legs. I thank the jury for its service, and my Office’s prosecutors for bringing him to justice. From prevention to prosecution, we remain dedicated to combating gun violence in all of its forms.”
Dunton was arrested the day after the shooting and confessed after being told by detectives that an innocent bystander was critically injured.
“I'm going down for this, I f---ed up," Dunton said to investigators, adding, "I never meant to do that."
The teen was convicted by a jury of attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17.
His lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
