Robbery Connected Man to 4-Year-Old Bystander Shooting

An armed robbery in Yonkers connected police to the shooting of a 4-year-old girl on the street. Arrested and charged in July 2016, Yonkers resident Floyd Bruce, 19, pleaded guilty before Judge Barry Warhit on Thursday to:

• one count of Robbery in the First Degree, a class “B” Felony,
• one count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, a class “C” Felony,
• one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class “C” Felony.

Here's how the series of incidents unfolded, said Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. While walking on Willow Street in Yonkers July 16, 2016, Bruce fired a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. He struck a four-year-old girl in the leg. She was not the intended target.

Bruce ran from the scene. The victim was taken to a local area hospital where she was treated and released a few days later.

Ten days later, Bruce and a second man, Lamont McLean, were armed with handguns when they approached two men in a parked car on Palisade Avenue in Yonkers, prosecutors said. They robbed both men at gunpoint and then ran from the scene.

Both were arrested by the Yonkers Police Department the next day. McLean also faces charges in the incident.

At the time of Bruce’s arrest, police recovered a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun in his possession. A ballistic test on the weapon matched it to the shooting of the little girl on July 16th.

Bruce faces a maximum of 25 years in state prison. He will be sentenced on Nov. 2, 2017.