Flatbush Man Faces 40 Years For Shooting 13-Year-Old Bystander In Eye

Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced today that a 24-year-old Flatbush man has been convicted of assault for shooting a 13-year-old boy in the eye while attempting to shoot a rival.

Kareem Potomont was caught on video at approximately 11:55am on April 14, 2014, as he opened fire near Flatbush Avenue and Beverley Road. He hit his 24-year-old intended target in the leg. The 13-year-old victim, Gama Droiville, who was waiting for a bus with his aunt and cousin, was shot in his right eye by a stray bullet.

Potomont fled the scene but was arrested three days later in the basement of a house in Jamaica, Queens.

The 24-year-old male victim was treated for his wound and released. The 13-year-old victim lost vision in his right eye and underwent multiple surgeries. He eventually had to have the eye removed.

Potomont was convicted on Friday, August 4, for one count of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree attempted assault, one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Potomont could face up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 22.

“This defendant, who opened fire on a busy street in broad daylight, forever changed the life of an innocent boy who lost an eye,” Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said in a statement.

“It’s truly a miracle that he survived,” he added. “The defendant will now spend many years in prison to pay for his abhorrent actions.”