Two teenagers have been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Bronx teen killed one week ago, police officials announced Sunday.
Ramon Gil-Medrano was gunned down on July 11 in the back of a livery cab at 178th and Valentine Avenue. He was found around 11:30 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and chest.
Police are looking into whether the 16-year-old was shot point-blank in retaliation for the death of a 13-year-old shot and killed hours earlier in the Bronx. The young victim was gunned down outside a café around 3:30 p.m. in the Belmont section of the Bronx in what police say was a gang-related killing.
Gil-Medrano was linked to the 800 YGz gang and had three prior arrests in 90s days, according to police officials.
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Mekhi Williams, 19, was arrested on Saturday and faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree gang assault, conspiracy, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, police said.
Officers also took into custody a 15-year-old on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Both suspects have prior arrest histories and ties to gangs in the city, a senior NYPD official said.
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The back-to-back fatal shootings marked a particularly bloody weekend in the city and Bronx. At least 10 people were victims of gun violence over the weekend with two other people killed in addition to the Bronx teenagers.
Mayor Bill de Blasio attended an anti-violence rally on Saturday and met with families from the borough impacted by gun violemce.
"We have to protect them -- and yes that of course means there's a role for police, it has to come from the community," the mayor said.
The 44th precinct, in the southwest Bronx, has become one of the city's most dangerous precincts. Recent crime stats from the NYPD show that gun arrests were up more than 99% last month.
