Quiet afternoon in the Bronx turned heartbreaking when 16-year-old Evette Jeffrey was fatally shot while riding her scooter near a local school — an innocent bystander caught in a burst of teenage violence that escalated to gunfire.
It happened just after 5 p.m. on Monday, outside a school complex on Home Street in Morrisania, where three high schools share the same building. Police say Evette had no role in the fight that broke out among a group of boys, but was simply heading home when the chaos erupted.
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the incident began as a fistfight between teenagers just outside the school gates. Surveillance video shows one boy getting punched to the ground, while others joined the scuffle. As the fight spilled toward Union Avenue, a teen allegedly retrieved a gun—handed to him by someone else—and fired three shots into the crowd.
One of those bullets struck Evette in the head as she tried to ride away. A friend was seen on video trying to shield her by pulling her toward a nearby brick wall. Despite that effort, Evette collapsed and was later pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital.
“She wasn’t involved in the fight at all,” Tisch said. “She was just in the wrong place at the worst possible time.”
Now, police are searching for a 14-year-old boy believed to be the shooter. As of Monday evening, no arrests had been made, and authorities haven’t released which school the suspect attends.
The incident adds to growing concerns about violence spilling out from schools into surrounding neighborhoods, especially involving young teens. The NYPD is asking anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
