Migdalia Martinez, the mother of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, broke her silence Tuesday telling reporters “He didn’t never get to reach 13.”
Jacob Freytes, 12, the son of a retired NYPD detective sergeant, rode his bicycle to the Bronx store on Saturday to buy a ball.
The shooting occurred on July 25 in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx.
Several adults were outside throwing punches and one of them pulled out a gun and fired, hitting Jacob in the shoulder.
The boy was taken to Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx, where he was pronounced dead.
Martinez addressed reporters and detailed the futures her son would never have.
“He will never graduate high school. And the guy that killed him did. He will never have a girlfriend, and the guy that killed him did. He will never have kids. And that guy that killed him did.”
The boy’s mother said her son only lived part of his life.
Martinez said her son got to live “some” of his life, and that Jacob’s accused killer, 45-year-old William Ferrer, owes him his.
Martinez demanded harsher penalties for those who kill children.
She said anyone who recklessly murders a child should get life in prison without parole.
The grieving mother also called out the lack of police presence in the neighborhood.
“Ellos tienen que poner más policÃas aquà afuera,” she said, adding “If you are a police officer and a boy dies near where you work, you have failed that child.”
William Ferrer, 45, was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the shooting.
He was arraigned and pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Ferrer has had multiple prior run-ins with law enforcement dating back to 1999, with arrests on allegations of drug possession, drunken driving, possession of stolen property, menacing and criminal contempt.
Community members gathered to mourn and demand change.
“We are just tired of having these press conferences speaking about gun violence,” Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the United Bodegas of America, told reporters. “Where is Mamdani? Where is the governor? When are they going to come out and say, if you get caught with an illegal gun in New York City, you’re going to do three to five years mandatory. That’s what we need.”
Borough President Vanessa Gibson issued a statement on the killing.
“We have to do better. We mourn with 12-year-old Jacob Freytes’ family. Nothing could be more tragic: An innocent child on his bike, killed by a stray bullet. Our children’s safety is our collective responsibility. We must meet this crisis by urgently implementing strategies proven to make us safer,” she said.
Jacob’s uncle, Julio Lopez, shared what the family was going through.
“We’re all standing with this family. There’s nothing we can say or do. Love your loved ones, give your kids a hug today and every day.”
Lopez urged the community to stop the violence.
“There’s a scar on this community. Put the guns down. Put your fists up. Get some boxing gloves. Fight it out.”
Neighbors expressed fear for their children’s safety in the wake of the shooting.
Local mother Missell Ventura, whose daughter was close friends with Jacob, called him a beautiful boy and admitted feeling terrified to let her daughter walk to the store or go to school alone because the street violence feels completely out of control.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch released a statement on the case.
“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,” Tisch wrote on social media.
In the viral moment that sparked the outcry, Jacob had pedaled to the bodega near Elliot Place and Walton Avenue just before 5 p.m. on Saturday to purchase a ball. A fight between multiple men erupted on the sidewalk outside the store. One of the men involved pulled a gun and began firing. Jacob, who was not part of the dispute and had just exited the store moments before, was struck by a stray bullet. Surveillance video showed him running back into the bodega, clutching his chest, before collapsing. Two other men were also hit but survived with injuries to the foot and buttocks.
Ferrer was arraigned on the charges in Bronx Criminal Court on July 29, where a judge ordered him to be jailed without bail.