Evette Jeffrey, 16 year old Bronx girl and innocent bystander shot dead by 14 year old boy after fight breaking out in school grounds. Teen boy fired off 3 gunshots, with one bullet fatally striking girl attempting to duck for cover. Person of interest now arrested.
A 16 year old girl was shot and killed while riding her scooter outside a Bronx school on Monday afternoon, after a physical altercation amongst teenage boys turned violent and led to the firing of gunfire.
Evette Jeffrey, was struck in the head by a single bullet around 5 p.m. as she was leaving a multi-campus school playground near 800 Home Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. Cops say the girl’s shooting death came after a 14 year old boy, fired off 3 gunshots after a gun had been passed to him amid a physical confrontation with another male student.
Three gunshots fired off at Bronx multi school playground
The un-named boy, who was previously described as a ‘person of interest,’ come Tuesday early afternoon was taken into custody, CBS NY reported, citing the NYPD.
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.
Major @NYPDnews presence around Bronx school near site of last evenings fatal shooting of 16 year old Evette Jeffrey @1010WINS pic.twitter.com/SGhIJcOusS
— glenn schuck (@glennschuck) May 13, 2025
Evette Jeffrey, 16 year old Bronx school girl was making her way home when tragedy struck
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.
‘She is not engaged in the fight,’ Tisch said. ‘She immediately falls to the ground while the other children run away for their lives.’
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, Evette Jeffrey was fatally wounded.
‘She said she was going home. I gave her a hug. We parted ways. That was the last time I seen her,’ a classmate told CBS News.
Jeffrey was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
14 year old Bronx boy now in custody
Jeffrey was her inconsolable mother’s only child. Her grandmother said the teen was a sweet girl who loved her cats, dog and turtle, and dreamed of becoming a med tech. She shared a photo of Jeffrey graduating from middle school, adding she was full of life and just starting to think about her future.
‘She loved music. She had a banner over her bed, teddy bears, you name it, she was a girly girl,’ her grandmother said. ‘She wanted to be a med tech. She was already looking into schools that could start her now or wait until she graduates. She’s a freshman.’
In the aftermath of the 14 year old boy’s arrest, authorities had yet to say what charges the juvenile now faced. Investigators had yet to confirm which school the suspect attended.
‘This is another senseless tragedy,’ reiterated Commissioner Tisch. ‘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.
