Police arrested a 45-year-old Bronx man Sunday in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, who authorities said was struck by gunfire outside a bodega in the Mt. Eden section of the Bronx after going out to buy a ball.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said detectives took William Ferrer into custody outside his home and charged him with second-degree murder in the killing.
Investigators said the shooting happened just before 5 p.m. Saturday near Walton Avenue and Elliot Place in the Mt. Eden neighborhood, where surveillance video captured a fight breaking out before shots were fired, according to the New York Post.
The shooting happened in daylight on a busy street near the Grand Concourse, according to authorities.
Jacob, who was on his bike near the scene, was hit and ran into the store for help before collapsing, authorities said. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said Jacob was not believed to be the intended target in the shooting. Two other men were also wounded, including a 34-year-old shot in the foot and a 25-year-old shot in the buttocks, and both were expected to survive, according to authorities.
Local reports identified Jacob as the son of a retired Bronx detective. Police have not publicly announced a motive. The area around the Wanda Deli was cordoned off Saturday evening as the NYPD Crime Scene Unit collected evidence.
Ferrer’s arrest came after detectives reviewed surveillance footage and identified him as the suspect, according to police statements carried by local news outlets. He was apprehended without incident, police said.
When he was led out of the precinct, Ferrer appeared emotionless and ignored reporters’ shouted questions, witnesses said. Records show he has a lengthy criminal history, with arrests dating back to at least 1999 for possession of a dangerous instrument, NBC New York reported.
He was arrested again in 2001 for alleged menacing and criminal contempt, sources said.
Ferrer also has at least a half-dozen arrests on his record, including a drug-possession charge in 2013, a marijuana-possession arrest in 2009, a drunk-driving arrest in 2009 and a possession of stolen property arrest in the Bronx in 2004, sources said.
He is now charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault and illegal weapons possession, according to Tisch.
The investigation remains active as police continue working to determine what sparked the confrontation. Ferrer was expected to face prosecution as the case moves forward.
Jacob’s father is a retired member of the NYPD who served in the Bronx, according to reports. The family has not publicly commented on the arrest as of Sunday. The shooting remains under investigation by the NYPD, as per USA Today.
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