Man pleads not guilty to Bronx triple shooting that killed 12-year-old
The man whom police say killed a young boy in the Bronx pleaded not guilty to a long list of charges.
William Ferrer, 45, was arraigned Sunday afternoon on seven charges relating to the triple shooting Saturday in the Mount Eden section. He is facing second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, two charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault, according to his arrest affidavit.
The judge who arraigned Ferrer ordered that he be kept in jail without bail.
His next court date is on Friday.
What happened?
The shooting happened in broad daylight around 5 p.m. Saturday.
Police say Ferrer repeatedly fired a gun, with a bullet striking Jacob Freytes, 12, in the chest.
Surveillance video showed Freytes running inside a bodega on Elliot Place to get help. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died, according to officers.
Two other men were also shot but are stable at a local hospital, according to the affidavit.
"He didn't deserve that"
Flowers, candles and handwritten messages now cover the entryway to Freytes' nearby apartment building where loved ones knew him as "Kai."
"I started crying. Me and Kai had been best friends. He was a nice kid; he didn't deserve that," said friend Marlyn Rosario.
Rosario said Freytes was playing baseball before he went to the bodega to purchase a ball.
Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, called for stricter gun regulations.
"Twelve years old. I could not, as a parent, live with myself. You know, kids can't come out on the streets of the Bronx, and we have to single out Brooklyn and the Bronx," Mateo said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke about the shooting at a news conference Monday morning.
"We can never accept that. A 12-year-old boy sitting on his bicycle outside of a bodega could be killed in our city," he said. "We are speaking of a young man who should have been able to do what every New Yorker should be able to do, which is just live their life in the summer in this city."
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.
