Story by Ethan
On July 31st, the arrest of Shaleek Brunson, age 42, was announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Shaleek Brunson was charged with five counts of second-degree Assault, second-degree Menacing, third-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, two counts of third-degree Assault, third-degree Criminal Trespass, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The arrest and charges against Shaleek Brunson were a result of an investigation handled by the NYPD’s 112th Precinct.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on July 28th, 2026, Shaleek Brunson approached a woman while wielding a hammer as she was standing on 90-02 Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, New York. A chase ensued as the woman began to run away and the defendant pursued after her. Approximately a quarter mile from where the victim began to run away she attempted to seek refuge in a fenced-in area of a nearby Jewish institute located on Woodhaven Boulevard. Shaleek Brunson continued to follow the victim as he entered the school’s property and came across an eight year old boy standing in the fenced-in schoolyard. The defendant then pushed the boy into the fence which inflicted a strike wound that caused a laceration on his forehead. Shaleek Brunson then entered the school building and would bite an employee as they held him off until the police arrived and detained him. The school employee and schoolboy were both taken to a local hospital where the employee was treated for redness and substantial pain from the bite and the student received six stitches to his head.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Shaleek Brunson are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
