In a recent admission before the justice system, Austin Morrishow pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition after a felony conviction. This plea is tied to a brutal shooting incident that occurred on June 30, 2023, in the Bronx, where a young five-year-old girl was grievously wounded amid gunfire.
The case, presided over by U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, brought to light the dangerous eruption of violence on a Bronx street, where Morrishow and co-defendant Curtis White recklessly discharged their weapons. “On June 30, 2023, Austin Morrishow and his co-defendant, Curtis White, engaged in a brazen act of violence by firing several shots onto a busy residential street in the Bronx. As these shots rang out, panicked bystanders rushed for cover, and one child—a five-year-old girl—was struck by a bullet and seriously injured. Morrishow then tried to evade arrest, but he was tracked down by our law enforcement partners, and now faces time in prison for endangering our city with senseless gun violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
The incident followed what appeared to be an engine backfire, which caused Morrishow to mistakenly take cover and subsequently open fire from a .40 caliber pistol. White, similarly armed, gave chase to three cars, continuing to unleash a barrage of shots from a .380 caliber pistol. This careless use of deadly force littered the scene with casings and bullets, one of which struck the child, who fortunately survived the ordeal after being urgently transported to a hospital.
Morrishow, who was previously convicted for using and carrying a firearm in relation to narcotics conspiracy, and White, previously convicted for attempted first-degree assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, were both found to have been in violation of laws prohibiting former felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. Each has now pled guilty to the federal charge, facing a maximum of 15 years in prison, with sentencing for Morrishow set on June 25, and for White on May 20, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecution commends the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department in conducting the investigation and extends gratitude towards the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their aid. The ongoing legal proceedings are overseen by the Office’s General Crimes Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry J. Fang leading the charge.
