A 13-year-old boy was charged in the fatal stabbing of a Coney Island teen after intervening in a fight between girls, authorities reported Monday.
The juvenile surrendered with his mother to investigators at the Brooklyn 60th Precinct precinct on Sunday. Two other teens, ages 14 and 15, also reportedly turned themselves in to police and face charges of assault and gang assault.
The NYPD did not release the names of any of the suspects because they are minors.
Officers said the three juveniles confronted Nysheem Wright on the afternoon of Jan. 20 in a Rite Aid parking lot on Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island.
The victim, described by city Department of Education Chancellor David Banks as a “cheerful leader,” was beaten and stabbed several times in the upper body. Nysheem was taken in critical condition to Maimonides Medical Center, where he died the following day.
This crime would be the latest unprovoked act of violence involving teenagers in the city.
“Our city grieves for these losses,” Banks expressed on his Twitter social network account. “We will support the students and schools affected by violence this week as they grieve and work with all schools to help young people turn away from violence.”
The boy, who was a student at K728 Liberation Diploma Plus High School, about a mile from the scene, was stabbed to death when he tried to help a girl he knew, family members explained.
“He’s not someone who gets in trouble, [he’s] pretty shy,” noted his cousin, Miriam Wright. “I’ve never seen him get angry or anything. I’m still trying to process this.”
Authorities confirmed Monday that Nysheem intervened in the fight between the girls the day before they died.