{"id":204213,"date":"2026-04-21T02:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T02:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/204213\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T02:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T02:12:11","slug":"ag-james-urges-suspect-in-queens-teen-slay-to-surrender-says-cops-know-who-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/204213\/","title":{"rendered":"AG James urges suspect in Queens teen slay to surrender, says cops “know who you are”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NYPD has identified the shooter who gunned down 15-year-old Jaden Pierre<\/a> at a Queens park, New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a vigil for the slain teen Monday.<\/p>\n

James \u2014 surrounded by the victim\u2019s family, friends and hundreds of mourners \u2014 urged the teen\u2019s killer to turn himself in just steps from where the boy was shot in the chest inside the Nautilus Playground at Roy Wilkins Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want everyone to know that the police know who shot Jaden,\u201d James said. \u201cI would urge this gentleman to turn himself in, to surrender as soon as possible, before the NYPD gets to you. They know who you are. They know where you are, and I would urge you to surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the vigil, Pierre\u2019s family joined by dozens of friends, classmates and activists at the teen\u2019s high school, Eagle Academy of Southeast Queens, before setting off down Merrick Blvd. toward the park where they boy was gunned down Thursday. The marchers carried white balloons and chanted, \u201cSay his name, \u2018Jaden Pierre\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/p>\n

Family members for Jaden Pierre pray together in Roy Wilkins Park during a vigil on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

Students from the victim’s school Eagle Academy march towards the vigil in Roy Wilkins Park on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

\"Balloons<\/p>\n

Balloons were release during a vigil for for Jaden Pierre, teen killed in Queens park on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Family members for Jaden Pierre pray together in Roy Wilkins Park during a vigil on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my twin,\u201d Jaden\u2019s father, Gardy Pierre, said of his murdered son at the vigil. \u201cThat was my man. I would do anything for that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

In footage\u00a0posted to X by Mayor Eric Adams<\/a>\u00a0on Friday, dozens of bystanders can be seen filming as Jaden is savagely beaten, when one of his attackers draws a firearm and shoots him at point-blank range.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey put him down, he got right back up,\u201d the victim\u2019s father said. \u201cThey knew that was the only way to put him down, because they know he was gonna stand up tall.\u201d<\/p>\n

The slain teen\u2019s family echoed James\u2019 call for the boy\u2019s killer to turn himself in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want justice,\u201d said Jaden\u2019s cousin, Ramel Jones. \u201cWhether it\u2019s on the streets, through this criminal justice system or the penal system, your justice is coming. So do the right thing and turn yourself in. Turn yourself in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Attorney<\/p>\n

Attorney General Tish James, left, holding mother of vic Shanelle Weston during a vigil for the teen killed in the Queens park. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

\"Ramel<\/p>\n

Ramel Jones speaks during a vigil on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

\"Gardy<\/p>\n

Gardy Pierre, father of the teen killed, speaks during a vigil on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Attorney General Tish James, left, holding mother of vic Shanelle Weston during a vigil for the teen killed in the Queens park. (Kerry Burke\/New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

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Jaden attended ninth grade at Eagle Academy<\/a>\u00a0and was looking forward to starting a new job through the city\u2019s Summer Youth Employment Program, his mother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was going to be his first job,\u201d Weston said. \u201cHe was so excited and proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

But on Thursday, the teen asked his father if he could go to the park to play basketball. In reality, he was going to participate in a planned water-balloon fight organized over social media, his mom said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had known about the water-balloon fight, I would have said no,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was nothing for him there but trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear how the dispute started, but\u00a0the footage posted by Adams<\/a>\u00a0shows Jaden being beaten by a group of teens in the park near Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in South Jamaica around 6:16 p.m. At least three rival teens can be seen repeatedly punching and kicking Pierre as he holds his hands over his head, trying to ward off the blows, the video shows.<\/p>\n

At one point, one of his attackers grab\u2019s Pierre\u2019s hoodie and throws him to the ground. Pierre quickly regains his feet but the teens continue to pummel him until gunfire rings out. The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone there recording did nothing,\u201d the victim\u2019s older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, told the Daily News. \u201cThey treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless and they shot him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NYPD has identified the shooter who gunned down 15-year-old Jaden Pierre at a Queens park, New York…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[262,263,266,85,267,9,24,264,12,63,261,122,124,123,265],"class_list":{"0":"post-204213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-city","9":"tag-county","10":"tag-crime-and-public-safety","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-new-york-county","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-nyc-crime","19":"tag-queens","20":"tag-queens-headlines","21":"tag-queens-news","22":"tag-sub-county-region"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}