A teen gang member arrested in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman struck in the eye at a Bronx playground didn’t pull the trigger, but traveled with the gunman to the scene and provided him with a change of clothes to help the killer avoid justice, prosecutors said.
The 16-year-old defendant appeared at his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court handcuffed and wearing a black hoodie and glasses. He was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the shooting that killed Reyna Caceres on May 28. Due to his age, his name is being withheld.
Prosecutors said the teen, who is affiliated with the 181 Gang, traveled by scooter with the gunman to the Aqueduct Lands Playground, where the victim, who was among a large gathering near Aqueduct Ave. and W. 181st St., was struck in the eye around 12:10 a.m., cops said.
The teen was arrested Tuesday. The triggerman remains on the loose.
Police believe the pair were aiming for the victim’s brother — who is wanted for questioning in three shootings — when Caceres was struck, according to law enforcement sources.
“I heard shots and when I looked out my window, there was a young lady shaking with blood (on her),” a woman who identified herself as Chanel, 32, said at the time. “She was convulsing, like she was having a seizure.”
The gunman, clad in black, ran off. Those remaining at the scene refused to talk to police when they arrived, sources said.
Another neighbor who was awakened by the commotion said there were at least 30 people at the gathering.
“We’ve had cops there before in the past. And, it’s funny, the one day that they’re not there is the one day that happens,” the neighbor said. “Because usually they patrol around this area.”
“Usually, you hear shots (and) nothing after. This time, they were shooting and then you heard a lot of screaming. So you hear, ‘No! No! Oh, my God!’ And that’s what really wakes one up, you know?”
The teen defendant is due back in court on Monday.