Evette Jeffrey, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, fell victim to a bullet fired during a brawl among school children back on May 12. The fatal incident occurred close to a school complex in the South Bronx area, leading to escalated concerns over juvenile crime rates. Earlier this week, a 13-year-old teenager was taken into police custody and charged in connection with Evette’s death. This is the second arrest in this case, with another boy, aged 14, having been arrested last week.
The teenagers, their identities protected due to their underage status, were both implicated in the last week’s fatal shooting that transpired post a common schoolyard dispute in the Morrisania locale. Each of the boys now faces charges of second-degree murder among other charges linked to Evette Jeffrey’s untimely demise. Evette, tragically, was not the intended receiver of the fatal bullet that ended her young life.
Details around who exactly pulled the trigger that resulted in the unanticipated killing of Evette remained vague as of Monday. Police authorities, led by Commissioner Jessica Tisch, have not yet released specifics about which of the two accused boys fired the lethal shot that met its mark on young Evette’s head.
Jessica Tisch, the incumbent police commissioner, has underscored juvenile delinquency as a continuing and significant problem for the city’s law enforcement department. Analysis reveals that even though occurrences of minor involved shootings have shown a downward trend over the last triennial period, the figures remain worryingly above the pre-pandemic levels.
As per the most recent police records, there have been 39 instances of minors becoming victims of gunfire this year, a significant increase compared to the 17 reported for the identical period in 2018. The number of identified minor shooters has also seen an escalatory trend, with 27 shooters labelled as minors this year against the 16 reported during the same time span in 2018.
Recalling the events of the tragic day, May 12, at approximately 5 p.m., a collection of children made their way out of the school courtyard located at the junction of Home Street and Tinton Avenue. Close by was a complex housing three distinctive schools – the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School, Bronx Latin, and the Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School.
Very soon, in the aftermath of their schoolyard exit, these young ones found themselves in the throes of a violent scrum. As per police record, a fistfight rocked the peace- one of the boys hit another boy, even striking a few more in his aggressive stride. The group thus shaken was said to have moved one block towards Union Avenue when the tables were turned.
The retaliatory surge came from the boy who had initially been punched. It is detailed that he was provided with a handgun by one of the cohorts. With the firearm in his possession, the once victim became the attacker. He fired three rounds towards the crowd indiscriminately, and one of these struck Evette. She, who was entirely uninvolved in the prior melee, was fatally hit in her head.
Evette was just a regular high school attendee, enjoying her leisurely ride down the walkway from the schoolyard on her scooter. The gunfire erupted suddenly, catching her in its cruel crossfire. Despite a nearby boy’s attempts to draw her away from the direct line of fire, incidentally behind a brick wall, their efforts proved too late.
Awareness of the incident was brought to the police by numerous 911 calls and alerts from installed gunfire-detection systems in the area. Responding officials were soon on the scene, and emergency medical service personnel were quick to transport Evette to Lincoln Hospital.
At the Lincoln Hospital, despite the staff’s best efforts, Evette was pronounced dead. A tragic end to a promising young life, inadvertently caught in the crossfire of a mindless act of juvenile violence. As the case remains under investigation, the community mourns and demands greater measures to check rising rates of youth crime in the neighborhood.
The post Fatal Schoolyard Dispute Escalates Concerns Over Juvenile Crime appeared first on Real News Now.
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