Authorities have a 14-year-old person of interest in custody in the shooting that killed a 16-year-old girl as she rode on her scooter near a Bronx school, according to police, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the case.
He was arrested Tuesday by U.S. Marshals and NYPD Task Officers from the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the sources said. There was no immediate word on the circumstances, though surveillance video from the school showed him involved in a fist fight earlier in the day that could have led to the violence after class. Police said the teenage suspect has had run-ins with the law before.
"There was a previous fight in the schoolyard itself that involved our shooter and another unidentified male," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
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WATCH HEREThe teen faces two counts of second-degree murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and weapon possession, according to police.
The arrest gives little comfort to the heartbroken family of Evette Jeffrey, who is believed to have been an unintended target as gunshots rang out near the corner of Home Street and Tinton Avenue in Morrisania just after 5 p.m. Monday near The Bronx Latin School building.
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SIGN UP "They can say 'I’m sorry' a million times, I don’t care. I will never forgive any of you," Jeffrey's grandmother said of those involved in the shooting.
According to preliminary information from multiple law enforcement sources, two groups of rival teen gang members were arguing near the school before a brawl broke out. A gun was allegedly passed over to one of the teens involved in the fight, and shots were fired into the crowd, police said.
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At least one of the bullets struck Jeffrey, a student at nearby Morris Academy, in the head as she rode in the schoolyard on her scooter, gravely injuring her. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
"When the shots are fired, who we believe to be an unintended target is struck and she immediately falls to the ground with a gunshot wound to the head as the other children run away for their lives," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. "She is not engaged in the fight and immediately walks over to another male at the edge of the group, who attempts to pull her to a brick wall for cover."
Family said Jeffrey was always smiling and dreamed of going into the medical field to help others.
After the shooting, the 14-year-old alleged shooter is believed to have handed the gun off to a 12-year-old, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Police were still searching for the 12-year-old, as well as the gun.
"Stop killing each other. Innocent kids are dying. It’s not right," said an aunt of Jeffrey.
It was unclear whether the teens involved in the fight were students at the school where it occurred. An investigation is ongoing.
Less than 24 hours after Jeffrey was killed by gunfire, a man and his 11-year-old were injured in another Bronx shooting involving bystanders.
On Tuesday, shots rang out on Elton Avenue and East 162nd Street, once again near a school, this time not far from Boricua College. Two people approached a group after 4:30 p.m. and fired shots, but missed the intended targets, according to the NYPD.
One of the stray bullets hit a moving vehicle, injuring the 20-year old man behind the wheel. Police said he was grazed in the shoulder. An 11-year-old boy who was a passenger in the car was injured by broken glass after the bullet shattered a window.
