Who is Rodney Sanders? Teen who accidentally shot himself FINALLY locked up after 4th arrest in 9 months
Rodney Sanders, 17, a teen who was charged twice with having loaded handguns was treated with kid gloves both times under the state's contentious "Raise the Age" law, allegedly allowing him to use another weapon to accidentally shoot himself in his bedroom. According to Law Enforcement sources, despite the self-inflicted wound, reputed gang member Sanders of Brooklyn was only arrested after his fourth gun arrest in less than nine months.
Sanders was arrested for the fourth time on July 6 about a block from his home, when cops saw him allegedly tossing a.45 caliber Sig Sauer P320 pistol loaded with 10 rounds on the ground outside 808 Miller Ave., Brooklyn, around 8:05 pm. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree possession of a weapon and was ordered held without bail after the prosecution cited “his extensive criminal history that keeps escalating despite interventions by the courts,” the DA’s spokesperson said.
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“What does it take for politicians to realize some people should not be treated as minors?” one Brooklyn cop said. “Do they have to shoot someone besides themselves?” “He likes carrying guns,” said a Brooklyn cop familiar with Sanders’ case, The New York Post reported.
According to sources, Sanders, 17, is a member of the Bloods-affiliated "Miller Made Crew" of about 30 teens who live in the area around his apartment on Miller Avenue in East New York. Sanders was arrested for the first time on October 17 while allegedly in possession of a loaded gun, and again on March 1 after cops allegedly discovered two loaded guns during a court-authorized search of his bedroom, according to sources.
Sanders' cases were diverted to Family Court following both arrests, and he was released from custody under the 2017 "Raise the Age" law, which largely ended criminal prosecutions of teens under the age of 18 charged with misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, according to sources.
Former gov Andrew Cuomo championed the reform measure as a way to end the "injustice" of automatically prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults and to ensure they "receive the intervention and evidence-based treatment they need" to keep them from committing more crimes. In the past, Mayor Eric Adams urged Albany lawmakers to change the law so that it does not apply to cases involving firearms, The Post reported. "The goal is to say that if you are caught with a gun in this city, you are going to criminal court," he said.
Sanders was arrested again on May 6 after allegedly admitting to shooting himself in the leg inside his bedroom around 7 pm. According to court records, cops discovered a pistol magazine holding six bullets in the doorway of the apartment at 747 Miller Ave., as well as a revolver loaded with six rounds stashed in a shoebox in the apartment.
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The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office persuaded a judge to allow Sanders to be prosecuted in the Youth Part of Brooklyn Supreme Court, According to DA Eric Gonzalez's spokesperson. According to the District Attorney's Office, Sanders pleaded not guilty to reckless endangerment and weapons charges and was released without bail because all of the charges were covered by the bail reform law that went into effect at the beginning of 2020.
Sander's Legal Aid lawyers have not yet released any statement. The teen is due in court Monday, July 18.