The gang banger accused of opening fire on a Brooklyn street, one of his stray bullets striking a 13-year-old choirboy in the eye, pleaded not guilty Thursday — all the while clutching a bible in his handcuffed hands.
Kareem Potomont, 21, appeared at his Brooklyn Supreme Court arraignment wearing a gray polo shirt, with hands cuffed behind him and his head down.
He held a King James bible, and his lawyer explained to reporters after the hearing, that Potomont’s fellow jail inmates have been trying to convince him to become a Muslim.
“Once you get to jail usually you are approached and spoken to about religion,” lawyer Audrey Thomas said. “I told him, `You’ve always been a Christian, you should remain a Christian.’ It got him this far.”
She also said that Potomont has great sympathy for victim Gama Droiville, and hopes for his speedy recovery.
“We have victims on both sides,” Thomas said. “We have two very young lives that have been compromised irreparably.”
Potomont’s bail was set at $200,000 and he is due back in court July 9.
Droiville was waiting at a Flatbush Avenue bus stop on April 14 when he got caught in crossfire.
The innocent-victim teen received a standing ovation from the congregation at his French-Speaking Baptist Church in Fort Greene when he returned to worship on Sunday.
“I’m OK. I don’t really want all this attention,” the soft-spoken Droiville said during the service.
“I want to thank everyone who prayed for me and visited me at the hospital. I thank God I’m alive. God bless you all.”
Droiville was struck by the bullet when Potomont allegedly tried to blast a gang rival, cops said.
The teen, who may not regain sight in his eye, was hospitalized for a week.