A 16-year-old suspected of gunning down a 13-year-old Queens boy in a probably gang-related burst of violence entrance of a Queens Dunkin’ Donuts this week surrendered to cops Friday — because the younger sufferer’s mother blamed the lethal capturing on social media.
Jaysohn Sykes — a pupil at Campus Magnet Excessive Faculty — turned himself in round midday on the one hundred and fifth Precinct stationhouse, a day after NYPD officers recognized him because the suspect within the Monday morning slaying of 13-year-old Sanjay Samuel outdoors the Springfield Gardens espresso store, in line with the sources.
Investigators consider Sykes — who goes by the title Flex — shot Sanjay throughout a bunch brawl, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated Thursday.
“He walks as much as the group and confronts them. They’re yelling forwards and backwards. Instantly, the group scatters,” Kenny described.
“We consider at this level, our perpetrator pulls out and shows a pistol, which causes the gang to disperse a bit bit,” he continued.
“The perpetrator will get again on the scooter to depart. The group begins yelling at him once more. He comes again, at which level he will get right into a bodily struggle with our sufferer,” Kenny stated.
“They begin throwing punches at one another, after which a shot is fired. He goes down. Our perpetrator flees the scene.”
Sanjay was identified to publish on social media concerning the SSM, or Intercourse Cash Homicide gang, a subset of the Bloods — main investigators to suspect a gang motive, sources stated.
Nevertheless, the slain teen — who recognized himself as “J2 Weapons” on Instagram — was not listed within the NYPD’s prison group database and had no prison historical past, the police official stated.
His household additionally firmly denied any gang involvement.
“Belief me, I don’t know something about such actions, speaking about gang actions,” his dad, Theophilus Samuel, stated Thursday.
“He wasn’t concerned in nothing,” Samuel stated. “Each time after I referred to as him when he ought to be residence from faculty, he was residence. I’ve a monitoring gadget on my telephone so I might observe him.”
“I’ve no extra phrases to say concerning the state of affairs. For a guardian to lose their child on this manner may be very tough.”
In the meantime, his mom, Velene Griffith, pointed a finger at social media, on which she stated her son would publish issues to “look grown.”
“This telephone is a satan,” the grieving mother stated. “These children, they discuss an excessive amount of on social media. They reside on the telephone, on social media to hype themselves up, to look grown, to look large and unhealthy.”
The boy’s uncle, Elvin Griffith, shared an identical sentiment.
“It’s doable he may very well be a child attempting to be vital posting issues that weren’t so,” Griffith stated. “I believe so.”
“He was by no means concerned within the [criminal justice] system,” he added. “All that they’ve are posts and you can’t decide somebody by their posts. Youngsters publish issues that aren’t true on a regular basis on the web.”
Sykes, in the meantime, has a number of social media postings exhibiting a blood drop, however doesn’t particularly point out any gang, in line with Kenny.
Sources say the US Marshals Service organized for Sykes’ give up.
Prices weren’t instantly filed.
