A 26-year-old man was been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl with a submachine rifle. The victim was inside an apartment in East Flatbush babysitting her 3-year-old cousin at the time of the 2016 shooting.
Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s sinister act cut short the life of a promising young girl and undoubtedly traumatized her toddler cousin. His deadly actions destroyed lives, left her family heartbroken and deeply hurt our community. He has now been convicted and will pay for his evil actions.”
The Acting District Attorney identified the suspect as Taariq Stephens, 26, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was today convicted of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Deborah Dowling. The defendant will be sentenced on January 16, 2018, at which time he faces up to 25 years in prison.
The Acting District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on May 31, 2016, at approximately 5:50 p.m., the defendant pushed his way into a sixth-floor apartment inside 1406 Brooklyn Avenue in East Flatbush, while carrying a .40 caliber submachine rifle. The defendant shot 16-year-old Shemel Mercurius once in the chest—reportedly for turning down his advances.
The victim told police the first name of the man who shot her when they arrived at the apartment, according to trial testimony. She was taken to Kings County Hospital, where she died 90 minutes after the shooting. Surveillance footage showed the defendant loading the submachine rifle outside her door, and then forcing his way into the apartment after she rebuffed him. He turned himself into police two days later.
