Hearing Postponed for Accused Shooter of Good Samaritan

By DEAN BROWN

A court hearing for Brooklyn felon Hector Bello who is accused of shooting and wounding a Good Samaritan who intervened in an attempted auto theft was postponed today by Judge Miller of the Brooklyn Supreme court after his lawyer failed to show up for his hearing.

Bello, 44, has been arraigned on a myriad of charges including attempted grand theft auto as well as assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a shooting Tuesday evening in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He once served 12 years in prison for robbery and assault in 1997, in an incident that left one-person dead. He was also brought in for questioning and charged for a 1991 murder but was not convicted in the case, according to court documents.

Many of the preliminary hearings were handled quickly and efficiently as lawyers had already consulted with their clients and the pleas they entered were waiting to be processed. As the hours and case numbers passed Bello’s lawyer failed to show, leaving the client shifting in his seat.

Since his case had not yet been called and he had not faced the judge, Bello became restless and started fiddling with his phone, causing the bailiff to berate him. A back in forth ensued which led to Bello abruptly leaving the courtroom, visibly upset.

After about an hour Bello returned to the courtroom more relaxed. His Lawyer, however was still not present. He sat quietly reviewing what appeared to be the proceedings from his last appearance in court in which he was arraigned and charged with attempted grand theft auto and assault with a deadly weapon when good Samaritan Jimber Mueses stepped in to prevent the crime.

Mueses, 28, a former minor league pitching prospect for the New York Mets was walking by when allegedly he witnessed Bello, 44, breaking into a parked car around 4 p.m. Tuesday evening in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. After approaching the man and telling him to exit the vehicle according to a witness, an altercation took place in which a gun was drawn by the defendant and discharged. Even after sustaining a gunshot wound Mueses was able to subdue Bello (also known by the last name Rodriguez) until police were able intervene.

The preliminary hearing was postponed for some time next week. Bello who is currently out on bond until trial told this reporter “The papers’ reporting of the crime was full of lies” as he left the courtroom.