In a tragic event that unfolded in Queens, a 14-year-old boy fell prey to a deadly incident when he was accidentally shot in the head by a 15-year-old acquaintance at his residence. The plight of our youth continues to blemish the city as the 15-year-old boy now faces a charge of second-degree manslaughter, as detailed by law enforcement officials.
The fateful shooting that led to the demise of the young teenager identified as Jamuri Mezar took place within his own abode. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening, transforming the place of warmth and security into a crime scene.
According to the officials, the bullet that sealed Jamuri’s fate struck his head in the comfort of his home, ending his life prematurely. The young boy was declared dead at the scene, marking a heartbreaking closure to his promising life.
The teenager implicated, whose identity has been withheld by authorities due to his minor status, found himself in law enforcement custody by Thursday. Charges against him also comprised the illicit possession of a firearm.
In an unfortunate turn of events that culminated in this tragedy, it was unveiled that the boys had been involved in playing with a gun at the victim’s residence, located in Jamaica, Queens. This dangerous game unexpectedly ended when the weapon discharged, transforming their playful encounter into a horrifying incident.
With a palpable sense of remorse hanging in the air, the 15-year-old who brought the weapon to Jamuri’s residence was revealed. Their flat situated in the Norman Towers complex became a grim playground where a group of teenagers toyed with the deadly instrument until it all-too-suddenly discharged.
Police forces arrived on the scene, responding to a distress call about a shooting around 5 pm. They discovered Jamuri mortally wounded with a gunshot that had disfigured his head. Soon afterward, emergency medical teams rushed to the scene, only to concede to the inevitable and pronounce him dead.
Further intensifying the situation, at least two of the teenagers present during the incident, in an act of panic or guilt perhaps, fled the vicinity of the apartment promptly following the unfortunate shooting.
Despite the ongoing investigation, numerous aspects of the fatal incident remain hazy. Unanswered questions surrounding the gun’s discharge and the individual in possession of it at the culpable moment continue to cloud the air.
Law enforcement continued their swift action and apprehended the 15-year-old suspect on Thursday, only hours before midday. His arrest came in the light of the incident and the serious implicating charges against him.
Sadly, Jamuri was the second teenager in the span of a week to lose his life to a bullet in New York City. On the previous day, another teenager, Darrell Harris aged 17, met a similar tragic end, shot to death in a Bronx park following an argument that occurred during a harmless water gun fight.
These events highlight a troubling trend. The commencement of the year witnessed a spike in shooting incidents involving minors, a bleak contrast to the overall decline in shootings within the city.
During the first quarter of 2025, a worrisome escalation in juvenile shooting victims was reported, showing a whopping 133 percent increase in comparison to the same timeframe in 2018, as per data received from the Police Department. On a similar note, the proportion of juvenile culprits witnessed a surge by 112 percent.
However, in a surprising twist, the first quarter of the same year saw recorded shooting incidents hit an all-time low. The number of such occurrences was indeed the lowest for any first quarter since crime statistics documentation began in 1994.