A Bronx man with priors opened fire on a busy Hell’s Kitchen sidewalk last Saturday, endangering the lives of passersby and his intended victim, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District.
On April 29, on a crowded sidewalk near 46th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan, Michael “MJ” Rowe got into a heated argument with another individual. Rowe, 23, appeared agitated based on security camera footage, waving his arms before he brandished his firearm and shot the other individual.
“Rowe’s alleged actions endangered numerous innocent people simply attempting to live their lives safely — something we all should feel free to do,” Michael J. Driscoll, the FBI’s assistant director in charge, said in a statement.
Footage of the encounter shows multiple bystanders on the sidewalk at the time of the shooting and law enforcement recovered a discharged shell casing at the scene, the criminal complaint states.
The victim, a 28-year-old man, sustained gunshot wounds to his left arm and left thigh, according to the NYPD. The man transported himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, and remains in stable condition.
It is unclear what spurred the argument between Rowe and Bailey.
However, Rowe was not permitted to possess a firearm due to prior felony convictions. In November 2022, Rowe was released after serving 44 months of a 16-month to four-year prison sentence, for two counts of third-degree robbery.
In February 2021, while in prison on the robbery charge, Rowe also pleaded guilty to seven counts in a gang-related case. He was known to be involved with the Mac Baller Brims gang, which operated in and around the Mount Hope neighborhood in the Bronx from 2017-2019.
Rowe was on supervised release at the time of last week’s shooting.
Rowe has been charged with possessing ammunition after a felony conviction; he surrendered to police on Monday. If convicted, Rowe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“The charges today should serve as a warning to any individual willing to settle arguments in a similar fashion — the FBI and our partners in law enforcement will hold you accountable in the criminal justice system,” Driscoll said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York did not respond to a request for comment.
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