13 charged in connection to string of shootings, violent crimes in the Bronx

Thirteen people have been indicted on charges related to the fatal shootings of two teenagers and the non-fatal shootings of two other men, the Bronx district attorney and NYPD announced today as part of a joint investigation.

News 12 Staff

Oct 7, 2021, 5:04 PM

Updated 1,097 days ago

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Thirteen people have been indicted on charges related to the fatal shootings of two teenagers and the non-fatal shootings of two other men, the Bronx district attorney and NYPD announced today as part of a joint investigation.
District Attorney Darcel Clark says five of the 13 people charged are 16-year-old boys. Those charged were also connected to a string of carjackings and robberies in the borough between May and July this year.
Defendants Jahlil Califf, 16, and Justin Baez, 18, were charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in connection to the death of 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot, who was shot in front of Angels Café on East 187th Street on July 11. Baez is also charged with attempted murder in a double non-fatal shooting.
Alec McFarlane, 16, and Tyquan Howard, 16, were charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Ramon Gil-Medrano, who was shot on July 11 while sitting in the back of a livery cab.
Other defendants - Marcus Odom, 16, Mekhi Williams, 20, Hasib Cutts, 19, Jonathan Westbury, 18, Elyesha Cook, 21, Tyshawn McClure, 20, Damian James, 20, and Dante Thomas, 21 - are variously charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, fourth-degree conspiracy, third and fourth-degree grand larceny, and first, second, and third-degree robbery.
According to the investigation, the shootings involved members of two rival neighborhood crews, the 800 YGs, based in Belmont, and Thirdside, based in the Norwood and Mosholu area.
"These indictments are an assurance to the people of the Bronx that we will hold accountable anyone who brings gunfire to our streets," Clark says. "But these indictments are also a tragic chronicle of a lost generation: boys and young men who turned to guns, and two lives were taken and 14 lives have been squandered."