Feb. 9, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
Police have arrested an Astoria man wanted for shooting two people near the Woodside Houses more than two and a half years ago.
Jaheen Stephenson, 21, a resident of the Astoria Houses NYCHA complex, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with two counts of attempted murder, weapons charges and a slew of other crimes for shooting a 31-year-old man in the back and grazing a 44-year-old bystander, according to police.
Stephenson, and two other suspects who remain at large, fired several rounds near Broadway and 51st Street just before 8 p.m. on June 15, 2020 – striking the two victims. The victims were rushed to Elmhurst Hospital and survived, police said.
Police did not provide a motive for the shooting nor say if it was gang-related.
Stephenson was also charged with two counts of assault, two counts of attempted assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment.
Police are still searching for the two other suspects in the case, who are described as being in their 20s and approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall.
The NYPD released an image of the three men a few days after the shooting. Police on Thursday did not say which individual Stephenson is in the photo.
One was seen wearing a green hooded sweatshirt with a decal, dark pants, white sneakers and a surgical mask. A second was seen wearing a multi-colored gray hooded sweatshirt, blue pants, white sneakers and a black mask. A third was seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with angel wings on the back, black pants, blue sneakers, a beige satchel and a surgical mask.