18-year-old arrested after teen killed in shooting on subway in Queens
FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (WABC) -- An 18-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting death of a teen on the subway in Queens.
Keyondre Russell, 18, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon after Jayjon Burnett, 15, was killed on Friday.
Police say a single gunshot rang out on a southbound A train just before 3:45 p.m. Friday after a dispute broke out between two groups of teens.
"Thank god they caught the guy, because he needs to be put away for what he did. He was a baby. He was a child. He didn't get to live his life yet," said neighbor Conchita Finley.
Neighbors at the family's building in Far Rockaway are lighting candles. Finley just saw Burnett going to school on Friday morning and was devastated for his parents.
"His mother took care of him. His father took care of him. They were always there for him. If he's not home on time, she goes off," said Finley.
Burnett's older sister, Regina Alvarez lives in Florida and says their mom is broken.
"He was the greatest brother I had. He was more like a son to me. He wanted to move to Florida after high school. He loved school. Straight A student. Loved school. He was just the most loving brother ever,
Alvarez said.
Alvarez set up a GoFundMe to help out their family.
Despite the arrest, police still do not have a motive for the shooting that happened as the train pulled into the station. There were two groups of kids who seemed to be arguing, which is why police say the shooting was probably not random.
"We've seen a lot this year where disputes quickly lead to verbal arguments and quickly lead to physical disputes confrontations that unfortunately have led to violence," said NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Jason Wilcox.
Police sources say they are looking into a gang component to the shooting, and they stress it was not a random act of violence.
Service on the A train was suspended between Far Rockaway-Mott Ave and Broad Channel in both directions during the investigation.
The shooting death is the eighth person killed in the transit system this year.
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