Gang Member Convicted of Terrorism in Shooting Death

A New York gang member has been convicted of terrorism and other charges for a shooting that killed a 10-year-old girl and wounded a man.

Edgar Morales was the first person convicted under the New York terrorism law, the New York Times reports. He was also convicted of first-degree manslaughter, attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy.

Jurors cited the judge’s instruction that terrorism is an act intended to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”

“When you fire a gun into a crowd, whether you hit your intended victim or not, you scare people, you make them fearful for their lives, and that’s why, in my opinion, the terrorism charges applied,” one juror said.

Critics such as Timothy Lynch of the libertarian Cato Institute told the newspaper that the law should not have been used.

“Lawmakers were told after Sept. 11 that we needed new laws, and it’s become kind of a bait-and-switch, because lo and behold, they are not being used against al-Qaida, they’re being used against ordinary street crime,” said Lynch, who heads the institute’s criminal justice project.