Police have made an arrest following the fatal shooting in July of 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot in Belmont.

 

After several days of rain, and several weeks after the lifting of COVID-19 movement restrictions, hundreds of residents had gathered at one end of Belmont to watch the final of a European soccer tournament, while at the other end of the neighborhood, another large crowd watched, in horror, the aftermath of a shooting that took the life of the Belmont teen.

 

According to police, and as previously reported, the shooting took place at 3:18 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, outside 743 East 187th Street. NYPD confirmed that officers responded to a 911 call regarding a person who had been shot and that officers from the 48th precinct and paramedics duly arrived at the location. Police said the teen had been shot in the chest and leg, and was rushed to St. Barnabas hospital but could not be saved.

As reported, there were initially no arrests following the incident, and the investigation had remained ongoing. However, on Friday, Aug. 6, the NYPD confirmed that an unidentified, 16-year-old male has been charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a firearm.

 

The NY Daily News reported that witnesses saw Jaryan shot on the street and later stagger inside Angels Café, located at 743 East 187th Street. Citizens App users reported at the time of the shooting that police had been looking for a black Honda which had fled the scene.

One resident of Jaryan’s building, whose name the Norwood News has retained on file for security reasons, and who was contacted later the same evening, said she believed the teen lived in the building with other members of his family, including some siblings. [Norwood News has not released the address for security reasons].

 

Asked if she knew the young boy, the neighbor replied, “Ah, not so.. I mean in and out basically… like sometimes he might say hi, but I could tell he had some type of issues. So, sometimes you’d catch him on a good day, and sometimes you wouldn’t, and on those days he just wouldn’t speak.”

The neighbor added that Elliot was tall for his age but skinny, and that his family had lived in the building for, at least, the last six years. Asked if she was surprised by his death, the neighbor said, “Ah well, I’m surprised because of his age, but I can’t say I’m completely surprised, you know, that he was involved in something that ended this way.” She added that she never saw Jaryan do anything illegal.

Video courtesy of the Citizens App.

The NYPD’s Chief of Department, Rodney Harrison, wrote on Twitter on the Sunday the shooting took place that it had been “gang-related.” Harrison added, “The shooting led to the death of a 13-year-old who was the intended target.”

 

Harrison had followed up with a second tweet, writing, “Anyone with information on the identity of the person responsible is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS.

Most residents who were watching the final of the 2020 men’s European soccer championship (UEFA EURO 2020), delayed since last year due to COVID-19, between Italy and England on a giant TV screen at Crescent Avenue and Adams Place in Belmont were unaware of the shooting which took place on the other end of the neighborhood on East 187th Street.

 

Anyone with information on the identity of the person responsible is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

Gang violence is plaguing #NYC and has to stop.

— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDChiefOfDept) July 12, 2021

The match ended in a 1-1 tie after extra time, with Italy going on to win the tournament in a penalty shoot-out, during which Italy won three goals to two.

 

On Wednesday, July 14, the NYPD released photos (attached) of a dark colored Honda Accord with three orange stripes on the hood, and asked for the public’s assistance in identifying the vehicle in connection with the shooting.

 

Photos of the vehicle, taken in the vicinity of Prospect Avenue and East 187th Street, are attached. The vehicle was seen fleeing eastbound on East 187th Street and turning left onto northbound Southern Boulevard.

 

On Monday, July 12, 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.

 

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.

 

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 State 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.

 

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. On July 30, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) announced that requested funding of $393,839 for Jacobi hospital’s Stand Up to Violence (SUV) program had been approved by Congress and now awaits approval by the U.S. Senate.

 

As also reported, a number of subsequent peace rallies have been held since Jaryan’s shooting, and in the wake of other shootings, including one which the mayor attended in the Bronx, along with Democratic nominee for mayor, Eric Adams.

 

As of Aug. 1, murder rates in the Bronx were up 27.6 percent compared to 2020 (they had been up 40 percent as of July 24), shooting incidents were up 52.1 percent (they had been up 62 percent as of July 24) and shooting victims were up 47.2 percent. (They had been up 55 percent as of July 24.)

 

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

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.