Quantcast

No word on hunt for suspects in St. Albans attack

No word on hunt for suspects in St. Albans attack
By Joe Anuta

More than a week after the early morning shooting on the border of St. Albans and South Jamaica, police were still searching for leads after one of the victims was discharged from the hospital and the family of another victim prepared for a funeral.

Darryl Adams, 18, was released from Jamaica Hospital June 29 after doctors performed surgery to remove a .40-caliber bullet from his abdomen along with the dead tissue the slug left in its wake.

“It’s getting better by the day,” Adams said, sitting up in a chair near the bed where he was handcuffed by NYPD officers just days before.

Adams was happy to be leaving the hospital on crutches later in the evening, but was a little wary of going home. Some of his friends were having trouble sleeping following the attack, he said.

Adams and five of his friends were walking back from a birthday barbecue around 4:15 a.m. and were laughing and joking when shots rang out, the teenager said.

“We heard loud shots,” he said. “I got shot and started running.”

He ran to his South Jamaica home with his twin brother, who was also with the group but did not sustain any injuries, according to Adams.

An older brother of the siblings did not believe Adams when he said he had been shot.

“I put my hand down the back of my pants and pulled it out — it was all covered in blood,” Adams said.

Realizing the severity of the situation, family members then called police.

But some time after hospital staff hooked Adams to an IV, police cuffed him to the bed. The NYPD said Adams had two outstanding warrants, while his mother said her son only got a desk summons for being in the park after hours.

“I was arguing. I was in so much pain,” Adams said. “Why am I getting handcuffed?”

All of the boys played basketball together, according to Adams.

Rob Moses, the basketball coach for Thomas Edison High School, said he serves as a mentor to Adams, even though the teenager does not play on the school’s team.

“He’s not a troublemaker, not a bad kid,” Moses said. “His environment is just a little hectic, but I keep on him.”

The mother of slain teen Terrell Fountain said her son used sports as a way to stay out of trouble as well.

The family hosted a barbecue last week to commemorate Fountain, and allow friends and family a place to gather.

They are currently collecting donations for Fountain’s funeral service at P.O. Box 301022, JFK Airport Station 11430-9997.

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