Miguel Mata, 19, has been arrested and arraigned on charges of shooting the wife of a Sudanese diplomat on April 17, 2012. (DNAinfo/David Brann)
QUEENS — A man accused of grazing the wife of a Sudanese diplomat with a stray bullet last week has been arraigned on attempted murder charges, prosecutors said.
Miguel Mata, 19, allegedly opened fire into a crowd standing in front of 14-56 31st Drive on April 17, striking Mahawabi Elbahi, the wife of the consul general of Sudan, as she stood with her 5-year-old son, according to the criminal complaint.
Elbahi, 31, escaped “within an inch of her life” when the bullet ripped through her shoulder, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after the shooting. She was hospitalized in stable condition, and her injuries weren’t life-threatening.
Her son wasn’t injured, officials said.
A witness told authorities that Mata, of Queens, “pointed a pistol towards him and a group of his friends,” before opening fire, striking Elbahi, police and prosecutors said.
Elbahi was arrested on April 20, and arraigned the next day on charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, a spokeswoman from the Queens District Attorney said.
His bail was set at $100,000, which has not been posted, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court again on May 4.
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By Wil Cruz, DNAinfo.com
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