Mount Vernon teenager fatally shot near Levister Towers apartment complex

Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read

A Mount Vernon teenager was fatally shot Thursday near the Levister Towers apartment complex.

Balloons and candles mark the spot in the courtyard of Levister Towers where a 14-year-old Mount Vernon STEAM Academy 9th-grader was fatally shot on March 9, 2023. The candles are arranged in a Z for the boy's first name and the number 14.
Balloons and candles mark the spot in the courtyard of Levister Towers where a 14-year-old Mount Vernon STEAM Academy 9th-grader was fatally shot on March 9, 2023. The candles are arranged in a Z for the boy's first name and the number 14.

The shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the rear courtyard of 230 S. 7th Ave. The 14-year-old victim, Zyaire Fernandez, was shot in the chest. Police officers and firefighters who arrived at the scene began life-saving efforts and he was taken to Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police later learned that a second teenager had been grazed by a bullet in the shooting and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital.

No arrests had been made as of Friday night and a city spokesman said police were not releasing the victim's name because of his age.

But a GoFundMe page seeking donations for help with Zyaire's funeral identified him.

"If you knew Zy you knew that infectious smile, the lovable laugh, and the loyalty he felt to his family and friends at all time," the appeal read. "He was a good kid with a good heart that didn't deserve this to happen to him and as community we need to come together to stop the violence."

Memorial in the courtyard of Levister Towers where a Mount Vernon teenager was fatally shot on March 9, 2023. The candles are arranged in a 'Z' for his first initial and 14, his age.
Memorial in the courtyard of Levister Towers where a Mount Vernon teenager was fatally shot on March 9, 2023. The candles are arranged in a 'Z' for his first initial and 14, his age.

A memorial at the site of the shooting includes blue, white and black balloons tied to a lamppost and memorial candles arranged in the letter "Z" and the number 14.

Mount Vernon police headquarters
Mount Vernon police headquarters

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It took more than eight hours for city officials to confirm that the shooting resulted in a homicide.

Earlier, Lt. Nicholas Mastrogiorgio, the police union president, posted on Facebook that the teenager had been killed.

"My heart goes out (to) the family of this young child who's life was cut short at the hands of senseless gun violence," Mastrogiorgio posted. "Every homicide is an absolute tragedy but a 14 YEAR OLD CHILD, this is heartbreaking!"

The shooting forced a lockout at eight city schools "out of an abundance of caution," said K. Veronica Smith, the acting schools superintendent. That included Grimes Elementary School, three blocks from the shooting scene, and Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, where the victim was a ninth-grader.

Smith expressed "extreme sadness" at the tragedy in a statement released by the district and said that counselors, psychologists and social workers of the District Crisis Team were deployed to all schools and would be available as needed for all students.

Police on Facebook urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact detectives at 914-665-2510 or text MVPD and the information to 847411.

It was the second homicide of the year in Mount Vernon, both claiming teenage victims. On Feb. 11, Sergey Tonkovid, 19, was found stabbed to death at the intersection of Lincoln and Columbus avenues. That killing remains unsolved.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon teenager killed in shooting outside Levister Towers