The intersection of Bailey Place and Bailey Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights was officially co-named Angellyh Marieh Yambo Way on April 8, in honor of Angellyh Yambo, the 16-year-old teen who was born and grew up in the area, and who was tragically killed in broad daylight last year when she was hit by a stray bullet, shot by a 17-year-old male youth as she was walking home from school with friends in the Mott Haven section of the borough.

 

The unveiling ceremony was held on April 8, exactly one year after the tragedy, and was attended by dozens of Angellyh’s family and friends, as well as a host of neighbors and elected officials, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The intersection was chosen as the location for the street co-naming due to the fact that Angellyh had spent much of your childhood in the area.

 

Addressing the crowd, Yanely Henriquez, Angellyh’s mother, said, “I didn’t want her name to be in a place where she lost her life, so this means so much to me.” Meanwhile, with tears in his eyes, Manuel Yambo, Angellyh’s father, said, “Whenever I look up at the street sign, I’ll see my daughter’s name and I’ll remember all the great memories my daughter and I had.” He added, “This is the very place where Angellyh was born, raised, and [was] so loved.”

 

In addition to Adams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, and Council Members Rafael Salamanca Jr. (C.D. 17), who represents the South Bronx neighborhood where Angellyh later lived and attended school, and Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), who represents Kingsbridge Heights among other Bronx neighborhoods, were also in attendance.

Addressing those gathered, the mayor said, “When that bullet pierced her body, it also ripped apart the anatomy of the community.” He added, “The pain never dissipates.” For her part, the borough president said of the occasion, “It’s an emotional day but it is a day that we come together to reflect, to honor, and to celebrate a life that was cut short but a life that made a difference.”

 

Gibson added, “This has not been an easy year for this family, but somehow in the midst of pain, they have come together with a plan to create a foundation in her honor, to not only celebrate her life but to remember her life.”

 

As reported, The Angellyh Yambo Foundation was launched earlier this year on Jan. 24 on what would have been Angellyh’s 17th birthday. Her family and friends gathered at her mausoleum in Woodlawn cemetery to mark the official launch of the foundation. Founded by her aunt, Mary Hernandez, who is also the CEO, other family members are also involved. Hernandez said, “We want to make sure she is not just a number. She was a valuable person to us and to the community.”

 

The foundation was created with the goal of helping raise awareness about gun violence prevention and other ways to help the community. The family is currently working with the staff of Angellyh’s former high school, University Prep Charter High School, where they plan to host an anti-bullying program as well as parent and children’s workshops. The foundation also provides after-school programs for teens which include counseling and mentoring.

Hernandez later told Norwood News, “Angellyh Yambo, she’s an inspiration. She will always be remembered with love and respect. Her legacy will continue through all of us who knew her. Angellyh’s street co-naming event was bittersweet for me, and my family. We were happy to honor Angellyh and this sign serves as a reminder of her legacy.”

The stray bullet that fatally wounded Angellyh near her school was shot from a ghost gun, a firearm made from components purchased online with no serial number so it isn’t traceable. The topic of ghost guns and gun violence was prevalent throughout the dedication. Multiple elected officials pointed to the effects of such guns on The Bronx community.

 

Adams said, “We are extremely dogmatic about removing these illegal guns off our streets. It is killing our community in a real way.” He continued, “Guns are not made in the South Bronx, so why are there so many here in The Bronx, in Brooklyn, in Manhattan? It’s because people are exploiting our communities.”

 

Gibson also addressed the issue, saying, “[We must] make sure that this work continues to address gun violence in our borough so that Angie is not a statistic, but her life becomes a success story of what we do as a borough moving forward, to prevent another family from mourning another loss of a child.”

 

As reported, Jeremiah Ryan, 17, was charged last year with the murder and attempted murder of Angellyh. Two other students were also shot during the incident. Police said Angellyh was not the intended target of the shooting and that she and her friends were innocent bystanders. Ryan is due back in court in June. Federal law now requires that ghost guns assembled at home be licensed and include serial numbers.

 

The street co-naming was the second dedication made in Angellyh’s name within a two-week period. Earlier, on March 30, as reported, Concourse Village Elementary School held a ceremony naming the school’s art room in honor of Angellyh. She was a former student at the school, and according to her family and the school’s representatives, had formed a close bond with the community there, one which continued even after she graduated.

Last year, as reported, students at University Prep Charter School held “A March for Angellyh” on June 8 during Gun Violence Awareness Month. It was one of many rallies held across the borough and City to oppose gun violence. The students chanted “Enough is Enough!” as they marched around the school block.

 

Despite such violent tragedies, like the one which resulted in Angellyh’s death, gun crime has been gradually dropping in New York City and in The Bronx, compared to what it had been in 2021. So far this year in The Bronx, according to NYPD data as of April 24, there have been 101 shooting victims compared to 157 at the same time last year, and 81 shooting incidents to date in the borough, compared to 135 at the same time last year.

 

In February 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden visited New York to discuss with local elected officials how best to combat the proliferation of ghost guns across the country. As reported, in April 2022, a Norwood man was sentenced to two years for possession of ghost guns in his home. Mayor Eric Adams had called, earlier that year, for the cancellation of the country’s largest ghost gun supplier.

 

Later in 2022, landmark gun legislation was either introduced or passed at nearly every level of government in the wake of a series of  mass shootings, across the country, including in Buffalo, NY, but not without challenges to the laws by Republicans. On June 6, New York State passed a comprehensive 10-bill package closing critical gun law loopholes exposed in the Buffalo and Uvalde mass shootings. Legislation S.9458/A.10503 bars the purchase of semi-automatic rifles by anyone under 21 by requiring a license. Legislation S.9407-B/A.10497 prohibits the purchase of body armor with the exception of those in specified professions.

 

Legislation S.9113-A./A.10502 expands the list of people who can file Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) and requires law enforcement to file ERPOs under a specified set of circumstances. The package also strengthens crime reporting; closing “other gun” loopholes; requires the microstamping of new semi-automatic pistols; eliminates grandfathering of high-capacity feeding devices; and requires social media companies to improve the response to and reporting of hateful content.

 

Two days later, on June 8, federal legislators in the House of Representatives voted 223 to 204 in what has been called an unprecedented bipartisan bill, the “Protecting our Kids Act,” which, among other measures, if it passes in the U.S. Senate, will also raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, and will restrict the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines. It was received in the U.S. Senate on June 9, 2022.

 

Norwood News readers later weighed in on whether they believed the new laws will have any impact on gun violence in The Bronx.

 

Back at the unveiling ceremony, Sanchez shared with those present a section of Angellyh’s high school application essay, which read, “I’m always excited to learn about new topics. As a shy student, I prefer to work independently but I’m open to working in groups and push myself beyond my discomfort.”

For more information on The Angellyh Yambo Foundation, or to make a tax-deductible donation, click here.

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.