Yonkers resident Jamir Thompson, 15, was arraigned on Wednesday, June 5 on charges that include second-degree murder, attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and grand larceny, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. announced.
Scarpino said that Thompson will be tried as a Juvenile Offender in Westchester Family Court.
Montanez, of Yonkers, was shot in the head at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, near the intersection of Lake and Morningside avenues in Yonkers, police said. The 1th-grader from Lincoln High School was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
At the time of the shooting, Montanez was walking down Morningside Avenue with her 9-year-old sister. Thompson surrendered himself to police custody in Yonkers on May 7, 12 days after the shooting.
Yonkers Police Det. Sgt. Dean Politopoulos said that the initial investigation determined that several people who were familiar with each other were involved in an altercation before the gun went off.
One group wound up allegedly chasing the other, with a suspect, Thompson, displaying a handgun, which went off, striking Montanez in the head, who was uninvolved, Politopoulos said. The suspects then fled the scene.
Thompson remains remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4.
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