Third arrest made in Albany Street slashing

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

A slashing earlier this month on Albany Street is believed to have started with an argument inside a deli, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a third suspect has been arrested in the incident and is facing high-level assault and gang assault counts.

During the incident at 2 a.m. Sept. 7 near Kelton Avenue, authorities said shots were fired at the victim. The man wasn’t hit by gunfire but did suffer a slash across his face from behind his left ear, through the ear, to near his nose, according to papers filed in court.

The victim made his way to the Imperial Motel, where employees summoned police and paramedics, prosecutor Peter Willis said.

The incident is believed to have started at Quins Deli, 1114 Albany St., and spilled outside, Willis said. It was unclear what the argument was about.

Two suspects were previously charged, and a third was arrested Monday. Jerod Hemingway, 24, of Albany Street, was charged with first-degree assault and first-degree gang assault. If convicted, he faces as much as 25 years in prison.

Hemingway was ordered held on $15,000 bail.

Charged previously were Clarence Stanford, 16, of Emmett Street, and Rupert Andrews, 27, of Duane Avenue.

Stanford was charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree gang assault. He is accused of pointing the gun at the victim and firing multiple shots while the victim fled, according to papers filed in court.

Andrews faces one count of first-degree gang assault.