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Prayer vigil held for Kyhara Tay, other gun violence victims in the Bronx

Tay, 11, was making her way home from school a few weeks ago when she was caught in the crossfire as shots rang out and was killed.

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2022, 5:21 PM

Updated 862 days ago

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Community members in the Bronx gathered Saturday for a prayer vigil as they remember Kyhara Tay and other young lives taken by gun violence.
Tay, 11, was making her way home from school a few weeks ago when she was caught in the crossfire as shots rang out and was killed.
Members of the St. John Chrysostom Church in Longwood still feel deeply moved by her loss.
"The family, the victim, we pray for everybody because again, what does God want for all his children?" said Father Richard Marrano. “So, but again what happened here to this poor innocent girl and to her family, to our community, it's an act of evil."
Police tells News 12 that on May 16, a 13-year-old boy was running on Fox Street near 165th Street from two other teens who were chasing after him on a scooter. That's when 15-year-old Mathew Godwin, who police say was the passenger on the scooter, fired towards the 13-year-old boy, missed, and hit Tay instead.
Tay suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Godwin and 18-year-old Omar Bojang, who was identified as the driver of the scooter, are facing charges that include murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon.
Organizers of the event tell News 12 they will be holding vigils in other areas of the Bronx.