Teen Gunman to Plead at Later Date

The brother of a teen who was shot at the bus depot in Long Beach on Monday said the gunman, Rodney Arnold Jr., was the aggressor.

“He was shot before he was even touched,” Laquann Hodge said of Arnold outside Long Beach City Court on Tuesday. “It wasn’t self defense.”

Arnold Jr., 17 — who was arrested and charged with attempted murder after police said he shot a teen, Opie Isaac, in the chest on May 21 — was arraigned by Judge Roy Tepper, who set bail at $200,000 cash over $400,000 bond Tuesday. Tepper also imposed a temporary order of protection, until May 21, 2013.

Arnold is scheduled to return to court on June 6, when he is expected to enter a plea. Tepper stated that Arnold had signed a written admission statement that he pointed a loaded revolver and shot a teen.

According to police, Arnold and three teens exchanged heated words and a fistfight followed, at which point Arnold pulled out a .22 caliber revolver and fired shots, striking Isaac, a 17-year-old sophomore at Long Beach High School, at about 3:40 p.m. Monday.

Police apprehended Arnold at the bus depot, the scene of the shooting and he was charged with attempted murder.

At Tuesday’s arraignment, Chris Devane, Arnold’s court-appointed attorney, said his client suffered injuries to his eye and head. Devane did not return a call for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The three other suspects fled the scene but were soon stopped by police and Riverside Boulevard and East Market Street. They were not charged with a crime.

While an investigation is ongoing, police said that it is unclear if Arnold was assaulted before he fired his gun. Isaac was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside. His wound was deemed non-life-threatening.

Nila Brown, who had just visited her cousin, Isaac, at the hospital on Wednesday, said he never pulled out a gun during the altercation. “They were basically walking down the street,” Brown said. “... At the end of the day, his [Arnold’s] family is mad at us, but we’re not throwing any blame.”

Arnold’s father, Rodney Arnold Sr., a Long Beach resident, said that his son acted in self-defense, and that the three suspects had been harassing his son for months.

“They’re kids from the high school, they go around terrorizing people,” Arnold Sr. said outside the court. “... My son fought for his life. A gun was pulled out on him. He was shot at two weeks ago by the same individuals. He calls the police. The schools called the police on the individuals. Again, they manipulate the system.”

But Superintendent David Weiss told Patch that he hasn't any knowledge of such shooting, at least not on school grounds. “If there were, I would have to report it to police,” he said.

On Monday, police officers at Long Beach headquarters, located across from the bus depot, immediately ran outside once they heard shots. They apprehended Arnold at the scene, but a weapon was not recovered.

Arnold's parents both said their son didn't own the gun. "We don't know where the gun game from, we don't know where it is now," Lakeisha Williams, Arnold's mother, told News 12.