Bronx boy 16, is arrested for 'shooting and killing rival gang member, 13,' who shared selfie of himself pointing gun at bathroom mirror
Police in New York City have arrested a 16-year-old Bronx boy for allegedly shooting and killing a 13-year-old suspected gang member in broad daylight last month.
The suspect, who has not been named because he is a minor, is facing charges of murder, manslaughter and criminal weapons possession in connection with the July 11 slaying of Jaryan Elliot in the Belmont section of The Bronx.
The juvenile murder suspect is said to be a member of an unspecified gang and has a prior criminal history, which includes arrests on charges of criminal possession of stolen property, grand larceny and robbery, police said.
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Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of murder, manslaughter and criminal weapons possession in connection with the killing of 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot
Elliot, a suspect gang member, was shot twice outside Angels Café in the Belmont section of The Bronx on July 11
Surveillance video from inside the eatery shows a mortally wounded Elliot stumbling through the door after the shooting
Police said in July that Elliot's death was a retaliation killing that was part of a 'major gang war' being waged in The Bronx, reported The New York Post.
Elliot was one of three boys who were killed in a span of five days amid skyrocketing crime rates in New York City.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday bragged that his 'Safe Summer' program has driven down murder and shooting rates, and noted that in July the NYPD saw 'extraordinary successes' to curve violent crime.
Elliot, known as 'Jay Ripp,' was standing outside Angels Café on East 187th Street in The Bronx after 3pm on July 11 when a black car pulled up beside him, a gunman emerged and opened fire, hitting the 13-year-old once in the chest and once in the leg.
Police said Elliot was standing with another boy when a suspect got out of a black vehicle and started shooting
A memorial was set up where Jaryan Elliot lived displaying photos and candles
Elliot, who was said to have been a member of the Crips gang and, despite his young age, had an extensive criminal record, was taken to St Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Elliot was believed to have been at the scene of the July 7 shooting that left 19-year-old Tyquill Daugherty dead in front of his home in Crotona, although police do no believe the 13-year-old was the person who pulled the trigger.
Less than nine hours after Elliot's killing, his alleged fellow gang members avenged his death by killing 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano.
Elliot was said to have been killed in retaliation for the July 7 slaying of 19-year-old Tyquill Daugherty
Two males riding scooters pulled up near Gil-Medrano in the Mount Hope section of The Bronx and fatally shot him, according to investigators.
Gil-Medrano, who was linked to the 800 YGz, or Young Gunnaz, gang, was said to have been at the scene of Elliot’s killing, although it is unclear if he was the shooter.
At the time Gil-Medrano was killed, he was wanted by police for an armed carjacking.
There were at least three open cases against Gil-Medrano in family court, according to police.
NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison took to Twitter to address Jaryan's shooting, saying he was the 'intended target' and adding: 'Gang violence is plaguing #NYC and has to stop.
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams also commented on the string of shootings, referring to Jaryan's murder as 'sickening'.
'Ending gun violence must be our priority. Tonight we pray for his family. Tomorrow we must find his killer & get this gun off the street,' Adams added.
Just hours after Elliot's killing, 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano , an alleged member of the Young Gunnaz gang, was shot dead by teens on scooters
In April, Mayor de Blasio unveiled his 'Safe Summer' program, a plan aimed at ending gun violence that focused on creating disincentives for young people looking to turn to guns by offering them positive alternatives.
On Thursday, the mayor noted that murders decreased by 49.1 percent and shootings were down by 35 percent across the New York City.
The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021.
The NYPD made 383 gun arrests in July alone, up 133.5 percent compared to last July, the mayor said, while gun arrests in general have gone up 44.5 percent in 2021.
While de Blasio took his victory lap many New Yorkers are wondering if the program is actually working as the city continues to be mired in violent crime.
Shooting victims in New York were up 12 percent so far this year, with 1057 reported as of August 1, compared to 944 in the same period of 2020
On Thursday, a female assassin casually walked up to a woman standing on the sidewalk in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn and shot her at a point-blank range, killing her.
On Tuesday a man strangled a woman unconscious on a Manhattan subway train and attempted to rape her before taking off.
This comes one day after police released surveillance footage of a masked attacker they say raped a 70-year-old woman at gunpoint in her apartment building in The Bronx last week.
On Saturday, three innocent bystanders were struck when gunfire erupted outside a Washington Heights bodega.
Earlier this week, surveillance footage captured the moment two men approached a crowd in a busy Queens neighborhood and fired about 40 shots, injuring 10 people before fleeing the scene on mopeds.
The shooters were targeting members of the Trinitarios gang on Saturday night in the borough's Corona neighborhood, police said.
NYPD crime data show that rapes are up 3.1 per cent so far this year, with 842 reported as of August 1, compared to 817 in the same period of 2020.
During his daily briefing on Thursday, de Blasio proudly proclaimed that the 'Safe Summer' program has been effective and said in July the NYPD curved violent crime
Shootings so far this year have steadily increased since January, with a small dip in June and July
Crime has rocketed by 53% in two years and system has already seen more murders in 2021 than it did for the whole of 2019
Other sex crimes are up 26.3 per cent to 2,719 this year, compared to 2,152 last year, according to NYPD statistics.
Shootings have spiked 15.8 per cent in 2021 compared to last year, with 900 shooting incidents in 2021 compared to 777 in 2020.
There are also 12 per cent more shooting victims this year, the data shows, with 1,057 people falling prey to gun violence compared to 944 last year.
The biggest leap in crime rates is for hate crimes, which have surged by 103 per cent in the last year. The data come amid numerous random attacks on Asian Americans in the city in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.