May 19, 2022
BRONX, New York—Detectives have identified a 14-year-old person of interest they are looking to question in the fatal shooting of 11-year-old Kyhara Tay, who was senselessly gunned down Monday, May 16, in the Bronx.
The stray round was fired by one of two people on a scooter and the NYPD says an 18-year-old is believed to have been driving the scooter—he’s being sought for questioning as an accomplice, according to ABC7 New York.
The intended target was not struck, however, the stray round traveled half a block and struck Tay, killing her, nearly three weeks after 14-year-old Kaitlyn Lau was shot in the spine on April 27 in Queens. Lay is permanently paralyzed.
The 11-year-old stumbled into a nail salon for help and collapsed before later dying in the hospital, reports ABC7.
Kyhara’s father, Sokpini Tay, gave a tearful plea at a rally on Wednesday.
“Please have mercy for her,” he said while crying. “Please don’t forget her. Please. She’s a baby. She wasn’t grown up yet. She didn’t have time to grow up. I’ll never get a chance to see her again.”
“To the community, if you know who these people are, say something,” stated District Attorney Darcel Clark. “This is our job. This is our community. We’ve got to flip the script in them.”
District Attorney Clark was joined by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and City Council Member Rafael Salamanca.
“I want the shooter caught,” Sokpini Tay told Salamanca. “I want justice.”
The NYPD stated there have been 65 shootings, three of them fatal, with victims under 18 so far this year. New York supposedly has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States.
Feature Screenshots via ABC7