A 45-year-old man is facing a murder charge after a 12-year-old boy was fatally hit by a stray bullet while riding his bike in the Bronx, as newly surfaced surveillance footage shows the frantic moments following the shooting.
William Ferrer was taken into custody Sunday morning and charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, manslaughter, six counts of assault and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, the New York Police Department confirmed to INC News.
Investigators say Ferrer allegedly fired shots during a violent dispute Saturday afternoon outside Wanda Deli Grocery on Elliot Place near the Grand Concourse in the Bronx’s Mount Eden section. One of those bullets killed 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, who police say had no involvement in the confrontation.
Authorities said Jacob was riding his bicycle near the bodega shortly before 5 p.m. when the gunfire broke out. He was struck in the shoulder and transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln, where doctors pronounced him dead.
William Ferrer is charged with murder and several other offenses after police said 12-year-old Jacob Freytes was killed in a Bronx shooting. (WNYW)
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Ferrer’s arrest on Sunday and described Jacob’s killing as “an act of senseless gun violence.”
“Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless gun violence,” Tisch wrote on X. “No arrest can 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 released by United Bodegas of America shows Jacob leaving the local deli after purchasing a ball, then climbing onto his bicycle moments before the shooting unfolded.
Police arrested William Ferrer on murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, who investigators say was an innocent bystander struck by a stray bullet. (WNYW)
Moments later, as gunfire erupts, the video appears to show Freytes running back inside clutching his chest before collapsing to the floor as horrified customers look on.
The gunfire also wounded two other men. Police said a 34-year-old was shot in the foot, while a 25-year-old was struck in the buttocks. Both men were in stable condition.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani mourned Freytes’ death in a statement posted to X following the shooting.
“My heart breaks for his family, friends and all those who loved him. Their loss is unimaginable,” Mamdani wrote. “Our children should be able to ride their bikes on a nice summer day in their neighborhood without fear of being shot. We cannot accept this violence as normal.”
The mayor also said he was praying for the recovery of the two surviving victims and thanked hospital staff and the NYPD “for their work to find those responsible for this heinous act.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ office also mourned Freytes’ death, saying “nothing could be more tragic.
“We mourn with 12-year-old Jacob Freytes’ family,” the Office of the Public Advocate wrote on social media. “Nothing could be more tragic: An innocent child on his bike, killed by a stray bullet.”
The office added that “our children’s safety is our collective responsibility” and called for “urgently implementing the strategies proven to make us safer.”
Ferrer has had multiple prior run-ins with law enforcement dating back to 1999, according to the New York Post, which cited law enforcement sources. The outlet reported his record includes arrests on allegations of drug possession, drunken driving, possession of stolen property, menacing and criminal contempt.
Community members gathered outside the Bronx bodega where 12-year-old Jacob Freytes was fatally shot while riding his bicycle. (WNYW)
Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, called Freytes’ death a devastating reminder of the toll gun violence continues to take on New York City during a Sunday press conference outside the bodega where the shooting happened.
“We’re just tired of having these press conferences speaking about gun violence,” Mateo said. “Whether it’s in a bodega, whether it is in a cab, it’s gun violence on our streets.”
Mateo said surveillance video shows Freytes entering the neighborhood bodega to buy a ball before walking outside moments before the shooting erupted.
“He runs back into the bodega because he lives in the area, and he’s a regular in that bodega seeking refuge,” Mateo said. “But no, he didn’t make it. Twelve years old.”
Mateo also said the store is equipped with one of the emergency panic buttons installed in many New York City bodegas, but the violence unfolded within seconds.
