A 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday for the gang-related beatdown that ended with 15-year-old Jaden Pierre being fatally shot by another youth after pistol-whipping him at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
The teen suspect surrendered himself to authorities and was charged with attempted gang assault and assault for the beatdown that led up to the April 16 shooting. He was ordered held on $1 million bond after pleading not guilty at Queens Supreme Criminal Court.
“The events in a residential park that day grabbed the attention of this city,” Katz said in a statement after the teen’s arrest. “The 16-year-old — indicted but unnamed because of his age — acting with others repeatedly punched, kicked and berated (Pierre). The victim was unarmed and allegedly did not fight back.”
Zahir Davis, 18, the suspected gunman and a member of the BG4 gang, was arrested on April 24 and charged with murder, gang assault and weapons possession. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News
Zahir Davis, 18, is pictured in police custody outside the 113th Precinct stationhouse in Queens on April 25, 2026. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
Pierre was participating in a water balloon fight he helped organize over social media when an unidentified associate of Davis recognized the 15-year-old boy from a previous brawl.
A group of boys, including Davis and the unnamed teen suspect, cornered Pierre against a low park fence, where they were filmed beating the victim as dozens of bystanders stood by recording the attack, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
The assault ended when Davis drew a firearm and pistol-whipped the teen. His weapon fired, and Pierre collapsed with a gunshot wound to the chest. Forensic investigators will determine whether the shooting was on purpose or accidental, police said.
“When you watch the video, he strikes him in the head with a gun, and as he comes down, the shot rings out,” Kenny said.
Kenny said the ongoing beef stemmed from a prior assault in January, in which the individual who incited the beatdown jumped Pierre. Friends of Pierre responded by beating the assailant in retaliation, the chief said.
The BG4 crew, short for Blitz Gang 4, operates in southeast Queens and is an offshoot of the Money World gang, which has historically feuded with the Snow Gang, Kenny said.
An attorney for Davis noted that “emotions are very high” in the wake of Pierre’s death, but said that he is awaiting discovery on his client’s case and declined further comment.
An attorney for the 16-year-old suspect did not immediately return messages left seeking comment.