Teen nabbed for Bronx subway gang shooting that killed bystander
A 16-year-old boy was charged with murder Thursday for the terrifying Bronx subway station shooting that left a bystander dead and five others wounded, according to police.
Monday’s violence was sparked by a January shooting between rival Bronx gangs that left a 17-year-old wounded, cops said.
The teen was grabbed after he was identified as one of at least three suspected triggermen in the Monday afternoon rush-hour shooting at the Mount Eden subway stop.
Bronx detectives and members of the Regional Fugitive Task Force got a tip that the 16-year-old was leaving his Mount Eden apartment where he lives with his mother, cops said Thursday. Along with the murder charge, he was hit with five counts of attempted murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon.
His arraignment was pending Thursday. The teen has one sealed robbery charge, according to a source with knowledge of the case.
The suspect’s name was withheld since he’s a minor.
Cops also took a 14-year-old who was wounded in the subway shooting into custody in connection with the January gunfire. It’s not clear if the 16-year-old arrested for Monday’s shooting was there at the time.
The teen was part of the “D Block” crew that rivals the “Burnside” crew, cops said.
In the earlier shooting, police said, the opposing groups got into an argument outside a bodega in Morris Heights before one of the teens pulled out a gun and let shots loose.
A “chance encounter” between the rival gangs on Monday sparked a fight, during which three pulled their guns and started blasting, cop said. The suspects continued firing at their rivals on the train platform and on the street below. At least 19 shots were fired, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a press conference Tuesday.
Those hit included Obed Beltran-Sanchez, 35, who was shot in the chest and died at St. Barnabas Hospital.
Beltran-Sanchez was a hardworking immigrant who was hoping to return to his wife and children in Mexico, according to friends.
“He was very hardworking, an excellent person,” a friend in Mexico messaged the Daily News in Spanish. “He faced a tremendous struggle, but in short he was a great human being.”
The wounded ranged in age from 14 to 71, police said. Most are believed to be innocent bystanders.
The wounded 14-year-old boy may have been the intended target of the gang members, police sources said. He was shot in the thigh and right ear and is being held in connection with the January nonfatal shooting that occurred north of the station.
Cops on Tuesday released surveillance images of two of the three suspects wanted for Monday’s violence.
The 16-year-old suspect’s father voiced shock Thursday after his son’s arrest.
“I don’t know what happened,” the dad, who declined to give his name, told the Daily News in a brief interview. “I’ve been asking the police for information. The detectives haven’t told me anything.
“He’s a good boy. He’s 100% a good boy,” he added.
