Man charged with murder in Mount Eden shooting that killed 12-year-old boy
Authorities say William Ferrer was arrested Sunday morning after a shooting that killed Jacob Freytes and wounded two other men near Elliot Place and Walton Avenue on Saturday just before 5 p.m.
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A 45-year-old man was charged in connection with the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy in Mount Eden, according to NYPD.
Authorities say William Ferrer was arrested Sunday morning after a shooting that killed Jacob Freytes and wounded two other men near Elliot Place and Walton Avenue on Saturday just before 5 p.m.
Ferrer was escorted out of the 44th Precinct in handcuffs Sunday afternoon and placed into an unmarked police vehicle.
Surveillance video shows an argument on the street moments before gunfire erupted. Police say Freytes was a bystander who was riding his bike through the neighborhood when he stopped at a nearby bodega to buy a ball and was shot.
Neighbor Alex Peralta, who lives near the bodega, said he heard the gunfire from his apartment.
“I heard two gunshots go off,” Peralta said.
He added that he initially thought the sounds were fireworks.
“I look outside and see people running in the opposite directions, then I see people getting into their cars driving away, so I was like, 'OK, definitely gunshots,' unfortunately,” Peralta said.
Police say the gun used in the shooting was illegal.
The shooting sparked renewed calls for tougher penalties for people who possess illegal firearms.
Fernando Mateo, of United Bodegas of America, called on city and state leaders to increase penalties.
"Where is Mamdani? Where is the governor? When are they going to come out and say, 'if you get caught with an illegal gun in New York City, you’re going to do three to five years mandatory?' That’s what we need,” Mateo said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his heart breaks for Jacob’s family and added that this kind of violence cannot become normal.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said she is heartbroken for the family, writing, “We must do better.”
Online court records also show Ferrer was arrested in 2013 on drug trafficking charges in a case involving a Bronx day care.
Ferrer is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and several other counts.
