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Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Keechant L. Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today that LENNY REYES was charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition during a shooting that occurred on the afternoon of March 8, 2023, near the intersection of East 167th Street and Sherman Avenue in the Bronx. REYES was transferred to federal custody this morning and was presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Lenny Reyes fired at a group of individuals outside a bodega in the Bronx, provoking a gunfight and endangering the lives of his intended victims and other bystanders. Thanks to the swift action of the prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, the defendant is now being held accountable for his reckless actions.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “As alleged, Reyes recklessly endangered the lives of others when he fired a gun in the direction of another individual in the Bronx on March 8, 2023. As a previously convicted felon, Reyes was not permitted to possess ammunition, and, as today’s action demonstrates, the FBI and our NYPD partners will continue to hold accountable those who put others’ lives at risk and violate our firearms laws.”
NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “The alleged violent and dangerously reckless actions of this defendant will never be tolerated in New York City. Illegal guns are a grave threat to our public safety, and the NYPD works tirelessly to ensure that the people who carry and shoot them are held accountable. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the New York Field Office of the FBI, and everyone else who aided in this investigation and arrest.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]
On or about March 8, 2023, REYES ran toward a group of people assembled on the sidewalk near 1217 Sherman Avenue in the Bronx. Video footage from the scene shows REYES running towards the group with a handgun pointed at them. The group began to flee. REYES fired the handgun in the direction of an individual located behind a car parked on the side of Sherman Avenue. A still image of REYES firing the shot is below:
REYES’s gun then appeared to malfunction, and he fled the scene as another individual fired six shots at him.
A shell casing discharged by REYES’s gun was recovered from the ground at the scene of the shooting. REYES was not permitted to possess ammunition because of prior felony convictions.
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LENNY REYES, 43, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with possessing ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI and NYPD. Mr. Williams also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Ross is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Nicholas Biase
(212) 637-2600