A young was killed in a triple shooting in the Bronx on Saturday.
Police identified the victim as 12-year-old Jacob Freytes. Police sources told CBS News New York the child was not the intended target of this shooting, with local leaders calling him was an innocent bystander.
Here’s what we know
The gun violence erupted in broad daylight in front of a store on Elliot Place in the Mount Eden section of the borough.
Surveillance video shows the 12-year-old on his bike as shots ring out and then running inside for help. Police said the boy was shot in the shoulder. At a news conference Sunday morning, the United Bodega Association said the boy died inside the store.
A 12-year-old boy was killed during a triple shooting in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx on July 25, 2026. Authorities said he was not the intended target.
CBS News New York
Two other people were also shot, including a 25-year-old man and 34-year-old man. Authorities said they are in stable condition.
The tragic loss of life has shaken the neighborhood. Neighbors described a chaotic scene.
“All of sudden, I heard like two gun shots going off. I thought they were fireworks, but then I heard, like, commotion going on,” Alex Peralta said, adding, ” I look out the window, I saw people, like, running away. I saw guys going into their cars in the driveway and they just drove off real quick.”
“We cannot accept this violence as normal”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson quickly took to social media to denounce the violence.
“Our children should be able to ride their bikes on a nice summer day in their neighborhood without fear of being shot. We cannot accept this violence as normal,” Mamdani said.
“We have to do better,” Gibson added.
The United Bodega Association is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the boy’s shooting, and a $10,000 reward for information on the two other people who were shot.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
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