Teen fatally shot in 'gang-related shooting' on Bronx sidewalk
BELMONT, The Bronx (WABC) -- A 13-year-old was shot and killed in what is being called a 'gang-related shooting,' while standing outside in the Bronx.
The shooting occurred Sunday around 3:15 p.m. outside Angels Café at 743 East 187th Street.
Police say Jaryan Elliot was standing with another male when a suspect got out of a black vehicle and started shooting.
Elliot was shot several times in the torso. The male with him was not shot. Elliot was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"I heard about eight rounds. And I came outside about 10 minutes later and saw chaos. And it's a shame this is happening early in the daytime people can't even come out," said Belmont resident Fred Armstrong.
NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison called it a 'gang-related shooting,' saying the victim was the intended target.
Elliot lived a block away from the scene. Outside his building, candles glowed in the shape of his initials - JE.
"It's really messed up, you know. These kids out here with these gang-related things. Breaks hearts. I send my love to their family," said Luis Medina.
Neighbors in Belmont say they're hearing more gunshots at all hours, and that it is easy for kids to get mixed up with the wrong crowd.
Erica Aviles saw the chaos and thought of her own kids, who are older than the victim, saying she has seen too many teens get caught up in gangs.
"I guess they just try to find support outside in the street when they don't have it at home," she said.
Neighbors say that has been a consistent issue -- a lack of activities for teenagers that keep them safe.
Even though shootings and homicides are down slightly this summer compared with the same time last year in the city, the trend over the last year has been troubling, and Governor Cuomo just last week declared a State of Emergency to address gun violence. It is a plan that commits millions of dollars to programs targeting at-risk young people.
No arrests have been made in the shooting, and the investigation is ongoing.
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