A 12-year-old on the back on his bike was shot and killed Saturday after a group of men started fighting in front of a Bronx bodega.
Police said Jacob Freytes was on the sidewalk next to six men when a fight started at Elliot Place and Walton Avenue in the Mount Eden neighborhood. The fight broke out around 5 p.m.
Surveillance video shows several of the adults throwing punches and kicks at one another, before one of the men starts firing a gun. Police said the 12-year-old boy was struck, as well as two men.
Additional video showed the boy run inside the bodega, holding his shoulder before collapsing inside. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The boy’s bicycle was seen lying in the middle of the crime scene as first responders tended to the injured and police conducted their investigation.
“They’re great kids, they were just riding their bikes, minding their business all the time and always at home,” said family friend Jose Sanchez. “And just to hear this is heartbreaking. It’s really heartbreaking.”
Friends of the family also say the boy lived just a block away from where he was shot.
“It’s a tragedy it shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have happened. This shouldn’t have happened,” said another family friend, Jasmine Rosario. “He’s 12-years-old. He was an innocent little kid. He’s not from the streets. He’s an awesome kid.”
Police were still looking for the gunman a day later. They said he wore a white t-shirt, black shorts and black sandals.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
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