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The gangbanger accused of opening fire on a Bronx street inches away from two terrified children was inexplicably set free after a knifepoint robbery — and critics on Saturday demanded answers about why he was sprung in the first place.

Michael Lopez was charged in the Manhattan robbery in January 2020, a crime he allegedly committed while on parole for other offenses.

“Somebody has to answer for this guy,” said Joseph Giacalone, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former NYPD sergeant.

Lopez, 27, was arrested Friday on attempted murder and other charges in the shocking June 17 sidewalk shooting, which was captured on video seen around the world.

Lopez allegedly kept gunning for his target, who trampled a 13-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother out to get candy at a nearby bodega. The children were miraculously not injured.

But over a year before, in January 2020, Lopez was charged in connection with a Manhattan robbery a crime he allegedly committed while on parole for other offenses.

Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Janene Carter said in court Friday that Lopez was on parole for three felony convictions and had been charged in two pending cases, including “a violent felony offense, robbery in the first degree and a misdemeanor.”

She also noted that Lopez had previously failed to appear in court on two recent occasions.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not return a request for comment.

After Lopez’ arrest, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea wondered why he was out at all.

“I think the main question we should all be asking is how does an individual released to parole get arrested for knifepoint robbery and is walking around on the streets? And is that justice for those little kids?” the commissioner said Friday.

The NYPD tells the state Division of Parole when a parolee is arrested and they are responsible for putting people back in prison if warranted, the top cop noted.

A spokesman for the Parole Division did not immediately return a request for comment Saturday.

Giacaolone said bench warrants should have been issued for Lopez after he missed court dates in his previous arrests.

“This is a prime example of somebody who shouldn’t have been out in the street. When are the state representatives who passed all these reforms going to be called on the carpet to answer for them? Those little kids are lucky to be alive,” he added.

State Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Republican from Staten Island and a former prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office said when a convicted felon on parole commits a new crime, he should immediately be returned to jail.

“Unfortunately the Democrats running New York City and New York State don’t agree with that,” Lanza said. “Only in New York would a guy with this many violent convictions be on the street committing more violence.”

Meanwhile, Shea on Saturday commended New Yorkers for their tips in helping to nab Lopez and said the NYPD was still looking for an accomplice who brought him to the Sheridan Avenue crime scene.

“We are not done yet. The detectives will get that gentleman on the scooter and bring him to justice and I hope he has a long time to think about it sitting in a jail cell for years to come,” he told worshippers at Park East Synagogue.

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