A Bronx man has been sentenced to up to 15 years in jail for his role in a shooting that critically injured a five-year-old girl, authorities announced Wednesday. Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, confirmed Austin Morrishow’s sentence, which stems from a shooting on June 30, 2023, during a sidewalk vigil in the Bronx. Morrishow had previously pleaded guilty to illegally possessing ammunition and was on the run for eight months before being apprehended.
“On June 30, 2023, Austin Morrishow and his co-defendant, Curtis White, fired several shots while attending a sidewalk vigil for someone who, in a sad twist of irony, was killed in a shooting,” Clayton told the jury. The event occurred when a car backfired, causing panic, and Morrishow fired at the automobiles, one of which struck the young girl in the chest. While Morrishow has been sentenced, his co-defendant White was sentenced earlier on July 9, which will result in 51 months in jail after his capture in July 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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The prosecution resulted from a vigil that turned violent when Morrishow, who was armed and not legally entitled to possess ammunition due to past convictions, took a shooting stance behind a parked vehicle and fired his pistol at three automobiles attempting to exit the scene. Curtis White pursued the cars and discharged his handgun, leaving multiple casings and bullet damage in the area, as confirmed by investigators.
In addition to his prison sentence, Morrishow, 27, must spend three years of supervised release and pay reparations to the victim’s family, according to the announcement. The New York City Police Department’s investigative work was praised. Special appreciation was given to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in apprehending the offenders. The case was prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit, which was led by Assistant United States Attorney Jerry Fang.
