A young man charged in the shooting of a Times Square food vendor was “just scared” when he opened fire, striking the peddler in the arm during a heated confrontation, his lawyer argued Thursday.
Emanuel Charles, 21, got into an argument Wednesday night with several vendors on Seventh Ave. and W. 47th St., and opened fire, hitting Ayaman Gzale, an Egyptian immigrant who had rushed to the scene to help a friend and fellow merchant, prosecutors said. Gzale was shot in the left wrist, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Judge Louis Nock set Charles’ bail at $175,000 cash or $300,000 bond. His next court appearance will be May 5.
“The defendant is observed walking away from the scene before turning back around, crossing in the middle of the street, and discharging a firearm multiple times,” Assistant District Attorney Danielle Bluth said. “Multiple people were on the street, and multiple people can be seen fleeing from the location after the defendant fires.”
After the vendor was shot, Bluth added, “the defendant fled into the subway, where he attempted to avoid police on the subway tracks. He attempted to board a train and flee the location.”
Charles’ lawyer, Omar Fortune, argued the charge against the young man “doesn’t make sense.”
“My client is a high school graduate. How does someone working at Duane Reade and dog-walking become Bugsy Siegel overnight?” Fortune said, adding: “My client has no prior contact with the criminal justice system. All he has is contacts with the community.”
“He wasn’t evading prosecution. He was just scared,” Fortune said.
Charles’ mother, who would not give her name, told the Daily News that her son “has family. He has support. This is crazy.”
More than a dozen friends and relatives shouted “we love you” and “keep your head high” as Charles was taken out of the courtroom, and court officers quickly cleared the crowded room.
