Police arrest alleged gunman in NYC school shooting; two students were wounded

NEW YORK (AP) _ A teen-ager was arrested early Friday in the wounding of two students at a city high school earlier this week, the first such shooting in more than seven years. <br><br>Vincent Rodriguez

Friday, January 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ A teen-ager was arrested early Friday in the wounding of two students at a city high school earlier this week, the first such shooting in more than seven years.

Vincent Rodriguez was taken into custody at his Upper West Side home at about 3 a.m., police spokesman Sgt. Ralph Carone said. Charges against him were pending.

Two students, Andre Wilkins, 15, and Andrel Napper, 17, were injured in the shooting Tuesday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School on the Upper West Side. The shooting happened on the fourth floor near the end of the school day.

Napper was in stable condition Friday at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, said Serena Hernandez, a hospital spokeswoman. Wilkins was released Thursday.

Rodriguez, who turned 18 Friday, apparently shot the two because they had teased his girlfriend and pulled a bandanna off her head, police said.

Police continued to investigate how a gun was brought into the school, which has metal detectors and safety officers. According to the United Federation of Teachers, the shooting was the first inside a city public school since September 1994.