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The shootout happened on Wednesday, Dec. 28 around 8:30 p.m., when police in Yonkers responded to Garfield Street where they found one of the teens with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was then taken to a local hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, and an investigation into the shooting was started, Yonkers Police said on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Following this, police were able to determine through witness interviews, forensic evidence, and surveillance footage that the injured 18-year-old was one of the combatants in the shooting, and had been involved in a violent fight where he and a second 18-year-old shot at each other in public in the area of Yonkers Avenue at Walnut Street. Authorities also found a Glock 9mm caliber handgun at the scene.
Both of the suspects were believed to have known each other, and police found out that the shootout had been a culmination of an ongoing fight over personal matters.
After the shooting, both suspects left the scene, but emergency services were called to help the injured 18-year-old who was hit in the leg. The injured suspect, identified as 18-year-old Ku-Shown Jefferson of Yonkers, was then arrested on Friday, Dec. 30 following the result of the investigation.
The second suspect, named as 18-year-old Donte Ramsey of Mount Vernon, was arrested on Friday, Jan. 6 after detectives were able to identify him. Police also recovered two illegally possessed handguns during his arrest, including one with a thirty-round magazine.
Both Jefferson and Ramsey are charged with:
- Second-degree attempted murder;
- First-degree attempted assault;
- Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon;
- First-degree reckless endangerment.
Additionally, Ramsey was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Chris Sapienza condemned the recklessness of the two suspects.
"Any acts of violence, especially brazen acts such as this that puts innocent lives in danger, will elicit the maximum law enforcement response from the Yonkers Police and our partners in Westchester County. Gun violence will never become a routine occurrence in our communities," Sapienza said.
Jefferson is due to appear in court on Monday, Jan. 23, and Ramsey will appear in court on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
More details about the shootout may be released as the investigation continues, police said.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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