The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot in the head near a school in the Bronx on Monday.
Law enforcement authorities are now searching for a person of interest, who is believed to be only 14 years old. Officials said that the incident occurred in the rear of Bronx Latin I.S. 158, at 800 Home St. in the Morrisania section, at around 5:00 p.m.
Teenage Girl Fatally Shot
They also recovered video footage from the scene that showed children leaving the schoolyard and entering a walkway found alongside the building. Officials noted that it also showed a fight breaking out between a group of people who were in the walkway.
Authorities said a male, seen wearing a white t-shirt and shorts was punched in the face by another male, who was seen wearing a grey hoodie. The latter then punches several other people in the crowd, according to ABC7NY.
Later on, an individual hands a pistol to the first male, who uses it to fire three shots into the crowd, with one hitting 16-year-old Evette Jeffrey in the head. Police said that the victim was initially transported to Lincoln Hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead.
They added that the teenage girl, who just had her birthday last month, was a student at the nearby Morris High School. Authorities are now searching for a 14-year-old boy as a person of interest in connection to the incident.
Another Senseless Tragedy
Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said that Jeffrey's death has caused the city to suffer another "senseless tragedy." New York City Mayor Eric Adams also spoke at a news conference, saying, "We feel the loss," the New York Times reported.
The teenage girl was apparently riding a scooter from the schoolyard down the walkway and then walked over to a boy, who grabbed her and dragged her behind a brick wall for cover. When she was struck by the bullet, other students in the area scattered for safety.
Tisch also lamented the continuing rise of gun violence on children living in New York City. She said that the number of victims in the Bronx has gone up by 200% last year compared to the numbers recorded in 2018.
The incident comes after a teenager was charged with murder following the death of a 12-year-old boy. The victim was fatally shot while shooting a music video in Northwest Philadelphia on Saturday, as per NBC Philadelphia.
