Police said they had arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting of a teen killed Friday just steps from a high school in the Bronx, the latest shooting in a month-long series that has left New York City horrified.
Jeremiah Ryan, 17, was charged with murder in the murder of Angellyh Yambo, 16, who was shot while walking home from school.
At a news conference on Saturday, Deputy Police Chief Timothy McCormack said Ms. Yambo and another 16-year-old girl were hit by stray bullets fired by Mr. Ryan shortly before 2 p.m. Friday.
A third victim, a 17-year-old boy, was hit by a stray bullet just steps away. The names of the boy and the other 16-year-old girl, who survived their injuries, were not released.
Chief McCormack said the victims were trapped between two people on opposite sides of the street who argued and “gested” at each other before one, Mr. Ryan, pulled out a gun and opened fire. It was not clear what the argument was about.
The chief said the shooting was caught on surveillance video and that Mr Ryan, who was also charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of weapons, had no criminal history and “no police contact at all”.
“We have two families that have been completely destroyed at this point: the victim’s family and the family of our shooter,” Chief McCormack said.
Ms. Yambo was murdered just steps from her South Bronx home and around the corner from University Heights Secondary School. She was pronounced dead shortly after emergency services took her to Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx.
Chief McCormack said Friday that police believed the victims were going home from school, although it was unclear whether they were students at University Heights Secondary School.
“Angellyh Yambo had a bright future,” New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said on Saturday. “She did everything right.”
On Friday, Commissioner Sewell said gunfire erupted when “brutal criminals” standing by the school “opened fire during a dispute”.
Diana Marrero, 54, said she had lived for several years in an apartment on the same floor as Ms Yambo and her family in a building on East 156 Street in the Melrose neighborhood. She described Ms. Yambo as “always serious.”
“She always said hello when she walked her dog,” said Ms. Marrero. “She always went to school and came home again. She wasn’t a girl hanging out there or anything.”
Hazel Cheeseboro, 15, described Ms. Yambo as a selfless and caring friend.
“She was very energetic,” said Mrs. Cheeseboro, who said she had known Mrs. Yambo since elementary school. “She was a happy person. She showed love and attention to you no matter what happened. She put you before herself.”
The murder of Ms Yambo was the latest in a spate of gun deaths that began in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The murders upset New Yorkers and challenged Mayor Eric Adams, who said public safety is his top priority.
According to police data, there were more shootings in New York on April 3 than at the same time in 2020 or 2021. More than 330 people have been shot, the data shows.
Earlier on Friday, Commissioner Sewell spoke at another press conference about a separate deadly shooting in the Bronx. The commissioner announced the arrest of two men in connection with the murder of Juana Esperanza Soriano De-Perdomo, 61, who was shot in the back on Monday during a dispute between a group of men.
The men, Donald Johnson, 20, and Rakell Hampton, 33, were charged Friday with murder, Commissioner Sewell said.
“This is another example of senseless street violence in our city,” she said. “Criminals cannot act with impunity. Everyone will be held accountable for their actions.”
Gina Heeb contributed reporting.