Four suspects have been charged in the wild shooting battle that blasted a 17-year-old girl in the face with a stray bullet, killed a 32-year-old man, and injured three others during a basketball tournament at a Bronx park, according to authorities.
A 16-year-old male and a 17-year-old male were both hit with a slew of charges — including murder, four counts of attempted murder, gang assault, and criminal weapons possession — for the shooting near Haffen Park just before 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the NYPD announced Sunday.
Daeven Reyes, 20, and Robert Royal, 25, were also charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapons charges in relation to the shooting. Reyes has an additional gang assault charge, authorities said.
Police arrived at the bloody scene on Burke Avenue and Wickham Avenue to find 32-year-old Jaceil Banks with a gunshot wound to the chest and a 17-year-old girl, later identified as Anthonaya Campbell, with a gunshot wound to the face.
Banks was pronounced dead at Jacobi Hospital, according to cops.
Campbell, meanwhile, is still in critical condition and is fighting for her life since being blasted in the head by a stray slug.
Three other victims went to the hospital by private means, including a 30-year-old man shot in the back, a 29-year-old woman shot in the back and a 42-year-old man shot in the arm, police said,
All three are in stable condition.
The youngest victim’s mother, Jennifer Talbot, was celebrating her PhD graduation when her day of joy turned to horror as she learned her teen daughter was struck in the face by a stray bullet.
“I was awarded during the ceremony, and it was the biggest achievement of my life, you know, proving to people that in spite of everything, you do exist, and you can do it,” Talbot told The Post Sunday.
“But a day for celebration became a day of my worst nightmare.”
Talbot said the teen had been upset that she wasn’t able to make it to watch her mom officially receive her PhD in mental health and psychology, but called her throughout the day to check in.
She was at a post-graduation gala in Connecticut when she got the heartbreaking news.
“When I get there to the hospital, I see my daughter on a hospital bed with a [tracheostomy tube], half her head shaved off, a bullet lodged in her eye with a patch, and her head swollen twice the size,” the mom said.
“And they were telling me that I may be having to adjust myself to say goodbyes because she may not be OK.”
“But, so to God’s grace and prayer and everything else, they called me this morning and told me they want to give her a blood transfusion,” Talbot said of her daughter’s current condition.
The notorious 47th Precinct has seen a 50% surge in shootings so far this year, according to NYPD statistics — just as Mayor Eric Adams trumpeted a dramatic dip in gunplay across the five boroughs.
There have been 21 shootings in the precinct, which encompasses areas including Baychester, Williamsbridge and Woodlawn, through Aug. 17, the latest NYPD data available, compared to 14 for the same period last year. Murders are up 100% year to date — from four to eight.
Saturday night’s melee isn’t even included in those statistics.
Sources said ShotSpotter caught 48 blasts in total.
Meanwhile, shootings and murders are both down nearly 20% citywide year to date, which Hizzoner touted at a July press conference.
Adams said Sunday that the recent violence doesn’t warrant a curfew in the most troublesome parts of The Bronx, but added that the NYPD will focus on beefing up patrols in “critical” areas.
“We’ve driven down crime citywide,” he told The Post. “In the Bronx, we’re dealing with gangs and young people. The DA has been talking about giving them alternatives and programs while we step up enforcement.
“What we’re looking at is what has proven to be successful: Deploying police personnel to hot spots, joining with our quality-of-life teams and focusing on these squads. That’s what has worked this year.”
“We need additional cops in The Bronx,” Bronx City Councilman Oswald Feliz told The Post. “The shootings we’re seeing are unacceptable. The police presence could help deter some of the shootings we’ve seen.
“The shootings are shocking. We’re talking about 13-and-14-year-olds getting shot,” the councilman added.
The Bronx numbers will only increase after the Saturday night shooting that sources said was believed to be gang-related.
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