A teenager has been apprehended for allegedly delivering a decisive punch to a boy just before another teen fatally shot him during a fight at a Queens park last month.
Facing charges, a 16-year-old was arrested and indicted on Wednesday for his role in the attack on 15-year-old Jaden Pierre, who was tragically shot and killed in Roy Wilkins Park on April 16, as stated by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
The indictment also names 18-year-old Zahir Davis, who is accused of firing the fatal shot at Pierre amid the violent gang-related clash, according to prosecutors.
Hailing from Brooklyn, the 16-year-old was allegedly part of an unruly group of teens who assaulted Pierre at the park in St. Albans. The incident unfolded after a gathering for a water gun fight, promoted on social media, escalated around 6:15 p.m.
The group, including the accused 16-year-old, reportedly “repeatedly punched, kicked, and berated” the defenseless 15-year-old, officials alleged.
Authorities claim that Pierre was dragged to the ground and then forced back to his feet, his back against a fence, when the 16-year-old allegedly delivered a final cruel punch to his face.
Davis then allegedly retrieved a silver firearm from his bag and shot Pierre in his upper chest. The ninth grader at Eagle Academy in Queens was brought to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The 16-year-old surrendered to authorities on Wednesday after a warrant was put out for his arrest on first-degree attempted gang assault and third-degree assault charges, prosecutors said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Bruna DiBiase ordered him held on $750,000 bond during his arraignment. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
“My son was a sweet kid,” his devastated mom Shantelle Weston, 33, told The Post last month. “He was very respectable and he really did not deserve that, he really did not deserve that at all.”
Investigators said they are continuing to probe and search for other youngsters involved in the assault of Pierre before the shooting.
“The events in a residential park that day grabbed the attention of this City. As alleged, a 15-year-old teen who was ganged up on by multiple teenagers while others watched and took video, was then shot and killed by 18-year-old Zahir Davis,” Katz said in a statement. “We are actively investigating
and searching for the other aggressors.”
The 16-year-old will return to court on June 4.
Davis, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, will be arraigned in the Supreme Court on May 20.
