Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of 12-Year-Old Girl In Paterson
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police charged a teenager Wednesday in connection with the stray-bullet shooting death of a 12-year-old girl in Paterson.
Jhymiere Moore, 19, of Paterson, turned himself in and was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon and second-degree unlawful possession in the slaying of Genesis Rincon, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced Wednesday.
"Seeing Paterson detectives, as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, handing out fliers, asking for information -- really begging for information -- that pressure led this defendant, in my estimation, to turn himself in," Valdes said.
"I am pleased to stand beside Prosecutor Valdes and the leaders of our police department to announce that justice has been delivered for Genesis and her family with the arrest of the suspect within 72 hours," Mayor Jose Torres said.
Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of 12-Year-Old Girl In Paterson
Genesis' parents were in attendance at the prosecutor's office as officials announced the arrest. Her father held his arm around Genesis' mother as tears ran down her face, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.
Family members were too overcome with grief to speak at the news conference, CBS 2's Christine Sloan reported.
Genesis was shot in the head around 8:40 p.m. Saturday while riding her scooter on Rosa Parks Boulevard with two friends, police said. The other children were not injured.
Genesis was declared brain dead, and her family took her off life support Monday night.
The girl's organs were donated. A 14-year-old boy received her heart, a 4-month old girl her liver, and another 4-month-old her kidneys.
Genesis was not the intended target in the shooting, just like Nicole Bethea's brother, Mark Anthony Harris Jr., who was shot dead near the same spot a year ago.
Despite Harris' sister passing out fliers, the killing has not been solved. Bethea is begging the community to help her family get closure.
"You have this code-of-the-street kind of like thing, where nobody speaks," Bethea told Sloan. "But what if it happens to you? What if you have a Genesis? What if you have a Mark Anthony Harris Jr.? What if it happens to you? Then what? Then you want everybody to speak."
Bethea stopped by a memorial for Genesis on Wednesday.
"She's a little angel," Bethea said.
Torres said he wants to crack down on crime, adding that there has been a spike in shootings since 150 police officers were laid off five years ago. The city is bringing back 26 cops and using cameras to deter and solve crimes.
Moore is being held on $3 million bail. He is due in court Friday.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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