Teen Faces Murder Charge In Fatal Shooting Of 7-Month-Old Girl In Brooklyn, DA Says

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn teen has been arrested on a murder charge after a stroller carrying two young children came under fire on an East Williamsburg street, officials said.

Mathew Rodriguez, 18, walked into a Brooklyn courtroom Tuesday for arraignment on multiple charges connected to the death of Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was fatally struck by a stray bullet while in her stroller last week.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez faces counts of second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, hindering prosecution, tampering with a witness and several weapons charges.

"On a beautiful spring day, this senseless act of gun violence took the life of an innocent baby, traumatized a family and shook an entire community," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "Little Kaori was killed, and her two-year-old brother was wounded — all because of a decision to settle a dispute with gunfire, with no regard for who might be harmed."

Prosecutors said that, according to the investigation, around 1:15 p.m. on April 1, near Humboldt Street and Moore Street in East Williamsburg, Rodriguez and the accused gunman, Amuri Greene, 21, were riding a moped, with Rodriguez at the wheel and Greene as the passenger.

As they approached a group of adults and children gathered on the street, Greene allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired several shots into the crowd.

The shooting killed 7-month-old Patterson-Moore, who was sitting in a stroller when she was struck in the head by a bullet, prosecutors said. Her 2-year-old brother was grazed in the back and survived.

Investigators said Rodriguez and Greene fled on the moped, which crashed a few blocks away after hitting a vehicle while traveling the wrong way down a one-way street.

Greene was taken into custody shortly after, and Rodriguez was later arrested in Pennsylvania, police said.

According to reports, while being questioned by police, Greene said he had aimed at Patterson-Moore’s father and opened fire in retaliation for an earlier shooting.

Investigators said the shooting appeared to be gang-related.

Prosecutors said Greene is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

In the days after the shooting, which sparked outrage across the city, the community gathered for a vigil on the eve of Easter Sunday.

Organizers said the event was a time to pray, reflect, and support one another as neighbors mourned the devastating loss.

Among those in attendance was New York Attorney General Letitia James, who urged action to end what she called “senseless violence.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani also condemned the shooting, describing it as an “unthinkable loss” and saying, “We cannot accept this violence as normal. Too many families have suffered this pain.”