Mount Vernon Police Update: Inmate Shot During Transport Van Incident

Incident Overview

• 🎯 On October 16th, near West Lincoln Avenue and Oak Street in Mount Vernon, a shooting occurred inside a transport van carrying five prisoners.
• 🚨 Two Mount Vernon police officers were transporting the inmates when they heard a gunshot and a prisoner state he had been shot.

Weapon and Victim Details

• 🔫 A .22 caliber RGT revolver was recovered from one of the prisoners, containing one spent round and four live rounds.
• 🩹 The injured prisoner, who sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his lower leg, is considered a victim and remains under medical care.

Alleged Shooter and Charges

• 👤 The alleged shooter has been identified as Lewis Sodto, 32, from the Bronx, with no significant prior criminal history.
• ⚖️ Sodto faces new charges including criminal possession of a weapon, assault in the first degree, and reckless endangerment, in addition to his existing forcable touching charge.

Investigation and Policy Changes

• 🔍 The department is conducting a full review of policies, procedures, and training, with preliminary findings suggesting the firearm should have been detected.
• 🧰 Effective immediately, the use of a handheld wand magnetometer is mandatory for all prisoner processings, and prisoners will be scanned upon entering and leaving the cell block.
• ⚠️ Some officers involved have been assigned to desk duty pending the investigation, and no officers have been cleared at this time.

Procedural Questions

• ❓ Questions arose regarding the search policies, the timing of the search, and whether the gun was found on the suspect at the time of arrest.
• ✅ Officers are confirmed to have acted correctly by returning to headquarters immediately after the incident.