Police confirm they have made two arrests in the murder case of 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano of Crotona Parkway who was shot in Mount Hope on July 11.

Police responded to a 911 call regarding a person who had been shot at East 178th Street and Valentine Avenue in Mount Hope in the 46th precinct on Sunday, July 11, at approximately 11.36 p.m.

 

Upon arrival, police observed an unidentified adult man in front of 361 East 178th Street with gunshot wounds to his head and chest. EMS also responded and transported the man to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. There are no arrests at this time and the investigation is ongoing.

 

On Sunday, July 18, the NYPD confirmed that pursuant to the ongoing investigation, two individuals were arrested on Saturday, July 17, 2021 and charged with various offenses.

Mekhi Williams, 19, (Individual #1) of Belmont Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx was charged with second degree murder,  first degree gang assault, first degree conspiracy, second degree conspiracy, second degree criminal possession of a weapon and first degree reckless endangerment.

 

The second person arrested, whose name was not released by police to the public, is a 15-year-old boy (Individual #2) who was charged with second degree murder and second degree criminal possession of a weapon.

 

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

 

Separately, as reported, a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed in Belmont on Sunday, July 11.

 

On Monday evening, Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared on “Inside City Hall” with journalist, Errol Louis, and talked about an earlier meeting held at the White House with President Joe Biden and a number of mayors and police officials from around the country, including presumed Democratic nominee for mayor, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

 

In the context of the discussion, the mayor addressed the issue of the supply of guns entering New York State. “Every time you disrupt [the flow] ….. I mean two or three or four guns can make a huge, horrible impact on people’s lives,” he said. “I think folks at the NYPD would tell you, look at the amazing efforts our officers working with communities have made – again, highest level of gun arrests that we’ve seen in 25 years – one gun at a time.”

 

The mayor continued, “You know, getting one gun off the street is worthwhile. If you can intercept a single gun or five or six guns, it still makes an impact, and also creating a culture of consequence, That’s what we need to see. We know in the previous administration, federally, you know, the message was that a gun proliferation was okay. We need to start to create more and more consequences that trafficking guns is going to lead to a problem.”

 

As previously reported, a diverse coalition of mayors representing cities and villages throughout New York State sent a joint letter to State officials dated June 1, urging the State legislature to pass what the mayors saw as critical gun sense legislation before the end of the legislative session and the summer recess. The mayors say the letter was sent amid a statewide surge of deadly gun violence in local communities.

 

As reported at the time, according to NYPD stats as of May 23, year-to-date shootings were up by 150 percent compared to the same period last year, while the number of shooting victims year-to-date had also increased by 168 percent, compared to the same period last year. In the 28 days leading up to June 1, shootings in the borough were up by 221 percent, compared with the same 28-day period last year, and during that same time, the number of Bronx shooting victims had increased by 285 percent.

 

The June 1 letter sent to the State legislature leadership can be read here. The New York City mayor was not among the signatories of the letter. Norwood News reached out to City Hall at the time to ask if the mayor supported the legislation. We did not receive an immediate response.

 

Assembly Bill A6762B relates to the dangers to the safety and health of the public caused by the sale, manufacturing, importing and marketing of firearms. It recently passed both legislative houses and was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

 

During his interview on NY1, De Blasio added, “The folks who make the straw purchases, they think they can get away with it, but if they no longer do, if they think they’re going to potentially face major prison time, that will stop that phenomenon or greatly reduce it. That’s what we need, and that’s where I’m really hopeful about the Biden administration’s vision.”

 

As reported, as June marked Gun Violence Awareness month, a number of initiatives were undertaken across the Bronx to tackle gun violence.

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.