A teenager was shot and killed by assailants wearing ski masks in what was the latest episode of violent crime and shootings that took place in New York City over the weekend.
NYPD responders found 17-year-old Jordany Mercedes bleeding out near his home on Beekman Avenue Sunday evening, authorities said. He had been shot in the chest and the bullet punctured his lung, killing him, WNBC-TV reported.
Neighbors said they heard at least two gunshots at around 6 p.m., but few eyewitnesses came forward to speak with the police.
“I was sitting down there when I heard the shots. I didn’t move cause I didn’t wanna get hurt – bullets don’t have no name. And then I just heard somebody screaming and yellin and everybody ran down the block,” Celia Albergotti said, according to WNBC.
Detectives have not identified a motive in the shooting but said it appeared the teenager had gotten into an argument with at least one other individual.
Video evidence reviewed by police reportedly shows a group of unidentified males gathered by an electrical box when Mercedes approaches from across the street. A senior official told WNBC the video shows one member of the group walked over and spoke to Mercedes. They appeared to get into an argument, and then the victim falls to the ground.
The teenage victim was pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital 30 minutes later, WNBC reported.
The senior official said all five members of the group in the video fled on foot north towards Oak Terrace. They appeared to be wearing ski masks and have not yet been identified.
Police recovered two shell casings at the scene of the crime, but the murder weapon has not been found and no one has been arrested.
WNBC said Mercedes’ murder capped a bloody weekend in the city where the NYPD reported at least nine victims of gun violence between Brooklyn and the Bronx since late Saturday night.
One man is dead and two others were hospitalized overnight after three other shootings in the Bronx, WNBC reported.
A 45-year-old man died after he was shot in the head around 12 a.m. in the Hunts Point section of the borough. Police identified him as Jose Alvarado of the Bronx.
Another victim is fighting for his life after he was shot in the head while sitting in a tow truck in the Mott Haven neighborhood.
A fourth victim, 20, was shot in the leg overnight in the Fordham Manor section, according to police.
These headline-making shootings come as Mayor Eric Adams has faced criticism for his handling of crime in the city.
While murder in New York City is down 13% from last year and shooting incidents have also declined, the NYPD index of major crimes shows a 34% increase over 2021 fueled by grand larcenies, car thefts, and robberies. There has also been more than a 60% increase in reported rapes between fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, according to city data.