Hudson Valley Teen Pleads Guilty in Shooting That Left Victim Paralyzed

A man who was shot at least twice in the Hudson Valley, near his spine and heart, is now paralyzed. The gunman, a local teen, is guilty of attempted murder.

On Thursday in Orange County Court, 19-year-old Jaylin Smith of Poughkeepsie pleaded guilty to attempted murder in connection with an Aug. 31, 2016, robbery of several people and the shooting of one person in the Town of Wallkill.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Smith and an accomplice approached several people on a Town of Wallkill residential street. At gunpoint, the two men ordered their victims to stand against a nearby car and stole property from them. After the robbery was complete, one victim suffered two gunshot wounds.

Bullets were removed from the victim’s back near his spine and from his chest near his heart. The gunshot victim is currently paralyzed, officials say.

“Senseless gun violence hurts our communities,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler, “Especially when it is directed at innocent people in order to take their property. This defendant’s act of robbing his victims at gunpoint was bad enough, but he elevated the crime to an entirely new and dangerous level when he shot one of his victims after the robbery was complete.”

Smith is expected to receive 18 years in prison when sentenced in July.

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