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St. Albans shooting victim handcuffed to hospital bed

St. Albans shooting victim handcuffed to hospital bed
By Joe Anuta and Ivan Periera

A South Jamaica teen who was one of four shot in St. Albans early Sunday was handcuffed to his Jamaica Hospital bed by the NYPD after being hit in the buttocks, his mother and a councilman said Monday.

 Darryl Adams, 18, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital after the early morning shooting that injured three others and killed 18-year-old Terrell Fountain.

“They were coming home from a birthday barbecue,” said Adams’ mother, Shanta Merritt. “For some reason, somebody started shooting at them.”

A bullet from the .40 caliber gun hit Adams in the buttocks, damaged his hip bone and became lodged in his abdomen, his mother said. Doctors told Merritt they could not remove the bullet because it is in a sensitive location.

“My son got shot in his buttocks and has a broke hip. He can’t even move,” Merritt said. “They have him shackled like he is a wild dog.”

Some time after Adams arrived in the hospital, police handcuffed his right hand and left ankle to his hospital bed, Merritt said.

When she asked police for an explanation, NYPD officers told her that Adams had a warrant out for his arrest.

Asked why the teen was handcuffed, the information arm of the Police Department said Adams had two open warrants. The police did not respond to other questions posed by the TimesLedger about the incident.

Around a month or two ago, Adams received a summons from the police for being in a park after hours and drinking alcohol, according to Merritt, but she maintained that Adams does not drink.

When her son did not show up at the precinct for his desk appearance, a warrant was issued for his arrest, she said, which is why she believed the cops used the handcuffs.

“I don’t understand any of this,” Merritt said.

Merritt said that she talked to a detective who said he would take the handcuffs off if Adams gave out more information about the early morning shooting.

According to Merritt, a detective said if Adams could tell the authorities something, then maybe the police could pull some strings and have his mother and sister come up.

“That’s when I said, ‘Excuse me? You’re really telling him to change his story?’” Merritt said, adding that if her son was shot in the butt, he was obviously running away from whoever was shooting. “Was he supposed to stop, turn around and look at the guy, then keep running?”

Merritt said that her son knows nothing about the shooting, and called on southeast Queens activist Erica Ford and City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) for help.

A spokeswoman for Wills said he was helping to resolve the situation, but confirmed that the gunshot victim was in handcuffs as early as Sunday afternoon.

“It would be safe to say, the councilman is working with the family and the police department to resolve the matter,” said Lupe Todd. “He recognizes it is a sensitive issue.”

At about 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wills said that the boy was about to undergo surgery.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.