A 12-year-old boy rode his bicycle to a neighborhood bodega to buy a ball.
He never made it home.
Jacob Freytes, the son of a retired NYPD sergeant, was killed by a stray bullet during a broad-daylight shootout outside the Wanda Deli Grocery in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx on Saturday.
Jacob was not part of the fight. He was not the target.
He was an innocent child caught in the kind of street violence that families in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s New York should never have to accept as normal.
Heartbreaking surveillance footage showed the wounded boy running into the bodega for help before collapsing.
The innocent 12-year-old son of a cop who was shot dead in the Bronx was identified early Sunday as Jacob Freytas — as heartbreaking video shows him collapsing in a bodega after running back in while clutching his chest. https://t.co/hwHW5nJoi3 pic.twitter.com/Ga2FksXKNb
— New York Post (@nypost) July 26, 2026
CBS News New York reports that gunfire erupted outside the store on Elliot Place after a fight involving several men. Police said Jacob was riding his bicycle nearby when the shooting began, and investigators believe he was an innocent bystander rather than an intended target.
The station reported that Jacob tried to run inside the store after he was hit. He was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Two adult men were also wounded. A 25-year-old was shot in the buttocks and a 34-year-old was shot in the foot; both were expected to survive.
People who knew Jacob described a respectful, well-behaved child who stayed close to home and loved riding bikes with the other neighborhood kids.
He lived only a block from the place where his life was stolen.
Police moved quickly and announced an arrest on Sunday.
NYPD detectives have arrested William Ferrer for the murder of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes and the shooting of two others in the Mt. Eden neighborhood of the Bronx.
Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless gun violence.
No arrest can ever ease the pain of this unimaginable loss, but the NYPD will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for Jacob.
— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) July 26, 2026
NBC New York reports that 45-year-old William Ferrer was arrested outside his Bronx home Sunday morning. Authorities expect him to face charges including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police said the violence began as a group of men fought outside the bodega shortly after 5 p.m. Surveillance video showed punches and kicks being thrown before one man allegedly opened fire.
Jacob’s bicycle was left lying inside the crime scene while first responders worked desperately to save him.
There is no political slogan that can soften what happened here. A boy went out to buy a ball, and an armed thug allegedly turned an ordinary summer afternoon into a family’s lifelong nightmare.
Mayor Mamdani and every official responsible for public safety should have to answer one question: Why should any New York parent be expected to tolerate streets where a child cannot ride to the corner store without risking his life?
New Yorkers deserve safe blocks, aggressive enforcement against violent repeat offenders, and leaders who care more about protecting innocent families than appeasing activists who treat law enforcement as the problem.
Jacob Freytes was 12 years old.
His family deserves justice—and the city owes them far more than another round of empty promises.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!