WALDEN \u2013 Barbara Terpening\u2019s heart sank when she read the email from Valley Central Superintendent of Schools Evette Avila with the news that 12-year-old middle school student Jacob Freytes had died Saturday in the Bronx.<\/p>\n
Freytes, of Walden, was struck by a stray bullet while riding his bicycle during a visit with family. The heartbreaking news was especially difficult for Terpening, whose daughter was a friend and classmate of Freytes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been devastating, and I can\u2019t imagine what Jacob\u2019s family is going through,\u201d Terpening said. \u201cMy daughter is just trying to cope with all of the emotions. It has been hard, and I don\u2019t think anyone can believe that this happened to a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta said his daughter was also a classmate of Freytes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a terrible situation,\u201d Arteta said. \u201cFor a child to go down there on the weekend and get shot, it is heartbreaking. It is devastating for the entire school district. What is even tougher is that this innocent boy was shot by a criminal with an illegally possessed firearm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freytes was shot Saturday by 45-year-old William Ferrer in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx. The boy had gone to a nearby bodega to buy a ball when gunfire erupted nearby. Police said the shooting stemmed from an argument involving Ferrer and five other people.<\/p>\n
Freytes was struck by a stray bullet. The boy ran inside the store seeking safety before collapsing. He was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals\/Lincoln, where he was pronounced dead. Ferrer was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the shooting. He has an arrest record dating back nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n
Sources told Mid-Hudson News that Freytes\u2019 father, Jesus Freytes, is a retired NYPD detective sergeant who worked in the 44th Precinct in the Bronx. Terpening said her daughter shared texts and photos of Freytes with her and that the two often spent time with friends at Bradley Park in Walden.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter said that Jacob was amazing,\u201d Terpening said. \u201cHe was thoughtful, kind and a great listener. Jacob was a great friend who she certainly misses.\u201d<\/p>\n
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