Leo O’Brien — the actor who played Bruce Leroy‘s little brother Richie in 1985’s “The Last Dragon” star has assured fans he’s “alright” after he was shot twice on Monday (5, Sep, 2011).
The actor, in the cult martial arts movie, was in Harlem, New York when a gunman opened fire on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. and W. 127th Street.
Law enforcement sources tell us … the suspect Travis Breckenridge a 50-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting, and was booked for attempted murder and criminal possession of a firearm.
O’Brien said he was standing on the corner when Breckenridge walked up to him. He suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his abdomen.
“You got a BB gun?” he asked his pal.
“The second bullet hit me in the stomach,” he said. “I knew then it was a real gun. I tried taking the gun from him…The third bullet hit me in the arm.”
“He didn’t say anything to me. He started crying and ran away. He was my homeboy. Did we have a problem before he shot me? No. I don’t know why he shot me.
“He was scared. Maybe he thought I would hurt him?”
The former actor said he runs a small music studio, owns a convenience store in Harlem, and operates a company that sells magazines door to door.
He hasn’t dabbled in acting much since “The Last Dragon,” but said he’s working on producing and directing a movie.
Taimak Guariello, who played O’Brien’s big brother Bruce Leroy in the Berry Gordy-produced film, posted on Twitter about the shooting.
“I haven’t seen him in about 15 years,” he said Wednesday, adding that he hasn’t kept in touch with his castmates. “I don’t hear from anybody until they’re almost dead.”
O’Brien – who lives in New Jersey and is the brother of Master Gee from the iconic hip-hop group Sugar Hill Gang – said when he was instantly recognized at the hospital.
“Of course, that’s a classic,” he said of “The Last Dragon.”
“If you black and you ain’t ever saw that, there’s something wrong.”
O’Brien was taken to a nearby Harlem Hospital, where he is recovering.
He said, “In life, sometimes s**t happens… but I’m alright and doing better.”
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