A Brooklyn teen was busted Tuesday as the rooftop sniper responsible for gunning down a Brooklyn mother as she saved terrified schoolkids from flying bullets. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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Gang member Andrew Lopez, 18, confessed to the slaying after his arrest, admitting he pulled the trigger last Friday afternoon on a Brooklyn street packed with children, sources told the Daily News.
His target was an 11-year-old girl, and the motive was a fight over a cell phone, sources said.
“We’re certainly pleased with the fact that the investigation has identified Mr. Lopez and he’s made statements and apparently made a full confession,” said NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Heroic Zurana Horton, 34, was shot in the chest after springing forward to protect the nearby kids when the gunshots started Friday afternoon near Public School 298 in Brownsville.
Witnesses said the mother of 13 was seen using her body as a shield for several children before she was hit with the fatal bullet.
The accused shooter is affiliated with a local street gang known at “8 Block,” according to police. The group is embroiled in a turf battle with another gang from the nearby Howard Houses.
A source told the News that the shooting was set off by an argument over a cell phone between Cheanne McKnight, 11, and a 15-year-old girl.
The older girl complained to a friend named “Butter,” who contacted Jonathan Castillo and his half-brother, Christian Lopez. The latter reached out to his half-brother, Andrew, who did the shooting, the source said.
