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A Harlem gangbanger who nearly gunned down two children as he shot a rival on a Bronx street last summer pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Friday, prosecutors said.
Michael Lopez, 28, will be sentenced to 15 years behind bars with an additional five years of supervised released, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a news release.
A now-viral video of the June 17 attack shows Lopez firing multiple rounds at a man on Sheridan Avenue while the bullets whiz by a terrified 13-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother.
“Images of the helpless, terrified children, who held one another as the hail of bullets flew next to them, shocked the city and the world,” Clark said in a statement.
“The defendant has been held accountable for the horrendous shooting that injured the man and endangered the children. This plea will spare the children from testifying in court and reliving the trauma.”
Lopez had gotten off a scooter at about 4:43 p.m. on the day of the attack and chased down a 24-year-old man, who knocked down the kids as he tried to escape on foot.
The video footage shows the boy shaking in fear amid the violence. The children, who had been on their way to buy candy, according to sources, weren’t hit.
The target of the shooting was shot in the back and legs and remains unable to walk as he undergoes treatment, the DA said.
Lopez was out on parole for three felony convictions and was facing charges in two other cases at the time of the shocking incident, which raised questions about why he was walking free.
He was arrested at his stepfather’s house in Harlem on June 25. He admitted he had the firearm and shot the man with the intent to kill him, the DA said.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 7.
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