Crime
16-year-old Evette Jeffrey Shot and Killed While Riding Scooter Outside Bronx School During Teen Brawl
BRONX, N.Y. — A 16-year-old girl was tragically shot and killed while riding her scooter outside a Bronx school on Monday afternoon, becoming an unintended victim of a violent altercation among teenage boys, according to police.
The victim, identified as Evette Jeffrey, was struck in the head by gunfire around 5 p.m. as she was leaving the schoolyard near 800 Home Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx.
Authorities say she had no involvement in the altercation that led to the shooting.
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the violence began when a group of teenagers exited the school grounds and began fighting in a walkway next to the school building, which houses three educational institutions: Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School, Bronx Latin, and Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School.
Security footage captured the confrontation, which escalated from a fistfight into deadly violence. One teenage boy is seen punching another in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Another boy joins in, throwing punches at others in the group. As the altercation moved toward Union Avenue, the boy who had been knocked down allegedly retrieved a firearm—believed to have been passed to him by someone else—and opened fire, firing at least three shots into the crowd.
One of those bullets struck Jeffrey in the head as she rode her scooter away from the scene. Commissioner Tisch emphasized that Jeffrey was not part of the conflict and was simply an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows one of her friends attempting to shield her from the gunfire, pulling her toward a brick wall for cover. Despite the effort, she was fatally wounded.
“She is not engaged in the fight,” Tisch said. “She immediately falls to the ground while the other children run away for their lives.”
Jeffrey was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Police are currently searching for a 14-year-old boy believed to be the shooter. As of Monday night, no arrests had been made. Investigators have not confirmed which school the suspect attends.
“This is another senseless tragedy,” said Commissioner Tisch at the scene. “A 16-year-old girl playing in a schoolyard is now dead. And a 14-year-old is wanted in connection with her death.”
The NYPD is continuing its investigation and urges anyone with information to contact authorities.
AUSTIN, Texas — A man was taken into custody Saturday afternoon following a shooting inside the Austin Central Library that left one person seriously injured and prompted a large emergency response and temporary shelter-in-place order in the downtown area.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), officers responded shortly after 12:00 p.m. to reports of gunfire inside the Austin Central Library, located at 710 W. César Chávez Street.
Upon arrival, police and Austin-Travis County EMS units found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
The individual was transported to a local hospital in serious but stable condition.
Assistant Police Chief Lee Rogers stated during a press briefing that the shooter fled the scene before officers arrived.
After an extensive search, the suspect—identified as 55-year-old Harold Newton Keene—was located and arrested in South Austin at approximately 1:25 p.m.
The library was safely evacuated, and the shelter-in-place alert was lifted shortly after Keene’s apprehension.
Authorities emphasized that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident involving only one suspect and one victim.
“This was not an active shooter situation,” Rogers confirmed.
Preliminary reports and public records reveal that Harold Newton Keene has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple arrests for assault, family violence, terroristic threats, burglary, drug possession, and evading arrest.
He is described by law enforcement officials as a habitual violent offender who has had numerous prior run-ins with police.
Records indicate Keene was previously arrested for threatening a man with a firearm several months ago and, in a separate incident, assaulted another inmate while in custody at the Travis County Jail.
In both cases, prosecutors later declined to pursue charges.
Authorities have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting or confirmed whether the suspect and victim knew each other.
The Austin Police Department’s Major Crimes Division is leading the investigation.
Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact the Austin Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS.