Teen Shot 2, Fled, Then Hid The Loaded Gun Under His Pillow

MIDDLETOWN, NY — An Orange County teenager will spend much of his remaining youth behind bars in a plea deal connected to a gang shooting.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that 18-year-old Dylan Saldana, of Middletown, pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Under the plea agreement, it will be recommended that he be sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision, when he is sentenced on May 19.

According to court documents, on November 19, at around 7 a.m., Saldana was walking on Wickham Avenue in the City of Middletown when he saw two people he believed were associated with a rival gang.

Saldana shot at the two and then fled the scene, according to police.

Offficers recovered a shell casing from the scene and identified Saldana as a suspect. A search warrant was executed at Saldana's residence and a loaded pistol was found under a pillow in his bedroom. Ballistic testing matched the spent casing to the firearm, and Saldana confessed his involvement in the shooting, according to to police.

At plea proceedings, Saldana admitted to possessing the loaded firearm.

The district attorney thanked the City of Middletown Police Department for their investigation which led to the arrest of Saldana.

"Gang violence in our streets can only be disrupted by arrest, prosecution and incarceration," Hoovler said. "The identification of violent criminals who perpetrate violent felonies is the highest priority of both police and prosecutors. We will not abide wanton gunplay in our neighborhoods. We remain focused on pursuing violent crime wherever it is committed in Orange County."