Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Teen fatally shot in Bronx park, NYPD looking for suspect
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 25, 2025
Modified Jun 25, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 25, 2025
Modified Jun 25, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Police were searching Wednesday for a suspect they say fatally shot a 17-year-old boy in a Bronx park Tuesday night.
NYPD officials said Bronx resident Darrell Harris was in Starlight Park on Sheridan Boulevard and East 173rd Street when he was struck in his head and right arm around 8:15 p.m.
First responders took him to Jacobi Hospital, where he died of his injuries, according to police.
Officials said the shooting was sparked by a dispute. They were looking for a man in a dark hoodie, black sweatpants and a black face mask who fled north on Sheridan Boulevard.
Harris is the 16th teen to die in a New York City shooting so far this year, according to NYPD data compiled by Gothamist.
The shooting happened just two days after the Bronx district attorney and Mayor Eric Adams condemned gun violence involving teens and called for a reexamination of the way courts handle alleged offenders who are minors. Authorities cited a doubling of teen shootings between 2018 and 2024, but criminal justice advocates said so far state lawmakers have not shown interest in rolling back a 2017 law that raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18.
“The Bronx is bleeding, and I’m doing everything in my power to make it stop,” Bronx DA Darcel Clark said Monday at a press conference announcing the arrests of 19 people — including several teens — accused of criminal involvement in a dozen shootings since 2021. “This is a lost generation. … This must end.”
Police data shows shootings were down slightly in the NYPD’s 43th Precinct, where Harris was killed, as of June 22, compared to the same period last year. The precinct — which includes the Southeast Bronx neighborhoods along Westchester Avenue, Castle Hill Avenue and White Plains Road — recorded four homicides through that date both in 2024 and 2025.
Police also announced Wednesday that 18-year-old Rize Ashmeade of the Bronx died on June 16 from injuries he sustained in a June 7 shooting on West Kingsbridge Road and Davidson Avenue. The NYPD arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with Ashmeade’s death, charging him with murder, assault and criminal weapons possession.
In the 52nd Precinct, where Ashmeade was shot, shootings and homicides have declined 30% and 67%, respectively, from the same period last year. The precinct covers neighborhoods including Kingsbridge, Norwood and University Heights. NYPD data shows there were two homicides in the precinct this year before officials announced Ashmeade’s killing.
Earlier Tuesday, police responded to another fatal shooting in the Bronx, where they said a 22-year-old man was shot and killed on Cedar Avenue near West Tremont Avenue in Morris Heights around 4:30 a.m. His name was not immediately released, and police had not announced any arrests in the case by Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information by police and has been updated.
Tagged
bronx
new york city
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .