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The family of a 12-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet in the Bronx is demanding change after a suspect with a lengthy arrest record was charged with his murder.
After the death of Jacob Freytes, the son of a retired NYPD detective sergeant, his mother and sister are pushing for “Jacob’s Law,” which they say would require life sentences for people convicted of recklessly taking a child’s life.
“I gave him a kiss, and I walked out, and we always do a little dolphin kiss. And I walked out and went to work,” Migdalia Martinez, Freytes’ mother, told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday.
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“Around five o’clock, they called me and said that he had gotten shot. And all I could do was try to think of different ways to get here faster,” she added. “When I got there, I just seen my boy gone.”
Freytes, who was riding his bike to a nearby bodega to buy a ball, was shot and killed after a suspect opened fire during an alleged street dispute. Two other adults were also wounded in the shooting.
Police said William Ferrer, 45, was arrested and faces multiple charges including second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Ferrer has an arrest record dating back more than 25 years, including prior charges for drunk driving, drug possession, menacing and criminal contempt, according to the New York Post.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed Ferrer’s arrest on X, writing, “Jacob was an innocent bystander on his bike when he was taken from his family yesterday in an act of senseless gun violence.”
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She added, “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.”
The family is calling for a proposed “Jacob’s Law” that they say would require life sentences for people convicted of recklessly taking a child’s life. The family also criticized New York’s crime policies, including cash bail reforms for misdemeanors and the end of stop-and-frisk.
“It’s just so much that they allow that, at this point, it’s just safer more for the criminals than it is for hardworking people,” Martinez said.
Freytes’ sister, Angelica Coriano, said the family welcomed the charges but remained uneasy about whether the suspect would receive enough prison time if convicted.
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“‘Jacob’s Law’ will allow for there to be no in-between whether somebody goes to jail or not for taking a child’s life recklessly. It’ll allow for criminals to go straight to jail or prison instead of the family having to go to court continuously hoping and wondering if they’re [going to] get the justice that they deserve for the child that they lost,” Coriano said.
“And we went to court and found out all the charges that he’d be receiving, which is great, but we still have to sit with the worry whether he’ll face all the time that is necessary enough to keep him where he needs to be. And that type of uncertainty is very uncomfortable for us as a family, knowing that we’ll never see our child again.”
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Martinez remembered her son as a “funny, quirky kid” who loved his friends, family and playing video games.
“There wasn’t an old woman he didn’t help with bags or cross the street,” she said. “There wasn’t a person that if he caught your eye, he’d make sure to tell you hi.”
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