What to Know
- An innocent 18-year-old woman was shot and killed in Yonkers Thursday, police said
- The girl was shot in the head near Morningside and Lake Avenues around 6:30 p.m., Yonkers police said
- Police said there was a dispute happening in the area at the time of the shooting, but didn't immediately provide additional details
An innocent high schooler who was fatally hit by a stray bullet as she and her sister were walking to the corner store had dreams of becoming a surgeon, her grief-stricken family said.
High school junior Marilyn Cotto Montanez, 18, was shot in the head near Morningside and Lake avenues around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Yonkers police said.
Montanez and her 9-year-old sister were walking side-by-side to the corner store near their home on Morningside Place when two men jumped out of a car and chased another man, according to police.
At some point during the confrontation, one person pulled out a gun and fired at least one shot. That shot hit Montanez, who doesn't appear to have been involved in the dispute, according to police.
“They’re killing people for no reason,” Montanez’ sister Celimary Ramos said between tears on Friday. “Little girl didn’t have nothing to do with it… and you all took my sister’s life for no reason.”
No one has been arrested in connection with the shooting, but sources say several people of interest are in custody and being questioned. It wasn't immediately clear whether they will face charges.
"Last night we experienced a tragic event where a young person lost her life due to gun violence," Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said in a statement. "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim."
"The Yonkers Police Department is dedicating every available resource to apprehend the person responsible for this heinous act," he added.
An investigation is ongoing.
