On Saturday, 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, the son of a retired NYPD sergeant, jumped on his bike and set out for a local store to purchase a ball, something that happens thousands of times a day for children across the country.
But in Mamdani’s New York, a simple right of passage turned tragic.
Freytes, who was struck by a stray bullet during the senseless shootout in a gang-infested area of The Bronx.
He was rushed to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Per The New York Post:
The 12-year-old son of a cop was fatally gunned down by random shots fired into a crowd outside a Bronx bodega Saturday — where the youngster was seen on heartbreaking video staggering inside clutching his injured chest before collapsing onto the floor.
The gunfire erupted after a brawl broke out on Elliot Place near the Grand Concourse at about 5:30 p.m., injuring two people and killing the 12-year-old who was an innocent bystander, police said.
The young boy had stopped by the Wanda Deli Grocery on Elliot Place to purchase a ball when he was struck by the stray bullet, the United Bodegas of America said.
Two others were injured and are in stable condition.
Surveillance footage shared by the United Bodegas of America via The Post shared disturbing video of the incident.
A 45-year-old man with a slew of arrests dating back to 1999 has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy outside a Bronx bodega Saturday.
William Ferrer was busted outside his home Sunday in the slaying of Jacob Freytes, who biked to a Mount Eden… pic.twitter.com/V3s1xLdHif
— Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) July 26, 2026
A man suspected of the shooting has been arrested.
45-year-old William Ferrer has been charged with murder in the case, which police believe may have been a gang-related shooting.
Ferrer, who has a rap sheet dating back to 1999, was arrested outside his home on Sunday.
The innocent 12-year-old son of a cop who was shot dead in the Bronx was identified early Sunday as Jacob Freytas — as heartbreaking video shows him collapsing in a bodega after running back in while clutching his chest. https://t.co/hwHW5nJoi3 pic.twitter.com/Ga2FksXKNb
— New York Post (@nypost) July 26, 2026
Police Commissioner of the City of New York, Jessica Tisch, shared, “NYPD detectives have arrested William Ferrer for the murder of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes and the shooting of two others in the Mt. Eden neighborhood of the Bronx.”
“Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless gun violence.”
“Ferrer, a 45-year-old male from the Bronx, was apprehended outside of his home this morning. He is being charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter in the First Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.”
“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.
NYPD detectives have arrested William Ferrer for the murder of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes and the shooting of two others in the Mt. Eden neighborhood of the Bronx.
Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless gun…
— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) July 26, 2026
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