U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force Arrests 14-Year-Old Wanted in Bronx Shooting

New York, NY – Deputies and Task Force Officers from the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force today apprehended a juvenile suspect wanted for fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl in the Bronx Monday.

The NY/NJ RFTF adopted the case today. Deputy U.S. Marshals of the Southern District of New York, along with Task Force Officers of the NYPD from the NY/NJ RFTF, quickly developed information through sources regarding the suspect’s whereabouts and set up surveillance in the vicinity of the 900 block of Rev James A. Polite Avenue in the Bronx.

The juvenile suspect was observed attempting to get to the rear of the building and was immediately taken into custody. Surveillance footage showed a fight break out between a group of teens outside Bronx Latin School Monday afternoon.

The 14-year-old suspect was punched in the face and knocked to the ground by another boy.  At some point, someone slipped the suspect a pistol, and he is alleged to have fired three shots into the crowd, hitting the girl, an innocent bystander, in the head.

“Today, we have arrested a suspect in the shooting that tragically took the life of an innocent young girl,” said Jhovanny Gomez, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York. “This senseless act deeply affected our community. With the suspect now in custody, we’re confident justice will be served. I commend the tireless efforts of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Southern District of New York, and our state and local partners for bringing this case to a close.”

The NY/NJ RFTF began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJ RFTF was the flagship that allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJ RFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception.