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A man has been charged with murder after a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot while riding his bike in the Bronx, as newly released surveillance video captures the tense moments after the beating.
William Ferrer, 45, was arrested Sunday morning and charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, six counts of assault and three counts of possession of a weapon, the New York Police Department told Fox News Digital.
Police say Ferrer is accused of opening fire during a disturbance outside the Wanda Deli Grocery on Elliot Place near the Grand Concourse in the Mount Eden area on Saturday afternoon, killing Jacob Freytes, 12, who investigators say was an innocent person.
According to the police, Freytes was riding his bike near the bodega when the gunshots were fired before 5:00 p.m.
THREE CHILDREN SHOT NEAR COMMUNITY CHURCH IN SMALL ARKANSAS TOWN, ALLEGEDLY.
William Ferrer faces murder and multiple other charges after police say he shot and killed 12-year-old Jacob Freytes during a shooting on a Bronx street. (WNYW)
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Ferrer's arrest Sunday, calling Freytes' death “an act of senseless violence.”
SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOUTING 'ALLAHU AKBAR,' STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK
“Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless violence,” Tisch wrote in X. “No arrest will ever ease the pain of this unimaginable loss, but the NYPD will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for Jacob.”
Surveillance video shared by United Bodegas of America shows Jacob leaving the bodega after buying a ball and riding his bike.
WITNESSES COUNT FOR 'SHOCKING' NYC STABBING AFTER 'ALLAHU AKBAR' ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED.
Police have arrested William Ferrer for murder and others in the shooting of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, who investigators say was an innocent victim of the bullet. (WNYW)
Moments later, as shots rang out, the video appears to show Freytes running back inside clutching his chest before collapsing to the ground as horrified customers look on.
This gunfire also injured two other men. Police said a 34-year-old man was shot in the foot, while a 25-year-old man was hit in the buttocks. Both men were in stable condition.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani mourned the death of Freytes in a statement sent to X following the incident.
“My heart aches for his family, friends and all who loved him. Their loss is unimaginable,” Mamdani wrote. “Our children should be able to ride their bikes on a beautiful summer day in their neighborhood without fear of being shot. We will not accept this violence as normal.”
The mayor also said he prayed for the recovery of the two surviving victims and thanked the hospital staff and the NYPD “for their work to find those who committed this heinous act.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' office also mourned Freytes' death, saying “nothing could be more tragic.“
“We mourn with the family of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes,” the Public Advocate's Office wrote on social media. “There is nothing more painful than this: An innocent child on his bicycle, killed by a stray bullet.”
The office added that “the safety of our children is the responsibility of all of us” and called for “quick implementation of proven strategies to make us safer.”
Ferrer has had several previous run-ins with law enforcement since 1999, according to the New York Post, citing law enforcement sources. The newspaper reported that his record includes arrests for drug possession, drunk driving, possession of stolen property, harassment and contempt.
Community members gathered outside the Bronx bodega where Jacob Freytes, 12, was shot and killed while riding his bicycle. (WNYW)
Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for United Bodegas of America, called Freytes' death a painful reminder of the ongoing violence in New York City during a Sunday press conference outside the bodega where the shooting occurred.
“We're just tired of having these press conferences talking about gun violence,” said Mateo. “Whether it's in a bodega, or in a cab, gun violence is on our streets.”
Mateo said surveillance video shows Freytes entering the bodega to buy a football before going outside before the shooting.
“He runs back to the bodega because he lives in the area, and he usually goes to seek refuge,” said Mateo. “But no, he didn't make it. Twelve years.”
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Mateo also said the store was equipped with one of the emergency panic buttons installed in many bodegas in New York City, but the violence happened in seconds.
