FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens – Police arrested the alleged shooter in the death of 10-year-old Queens boy Justin Wallace on Tuesday, an NYPD detective said.
Jovan Young, 29, was charged with murder, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon on what would have been Wallace’s 11th birthday.
Wallace was killed by a gunshot wound to the torso on Saturday night. A relative was injured in the shooting.
Video shows the alleged gunman fire repeatedly.
Mayor Bill de Blasio met with Wallace’s family on Sunday. He told the boy’s parents the shooter would be found and punished.
“Justin Wallace should have turned 11 today. He should have spent today celebrating with his friends and family,” de Blasio tweeted. “If you shoot and kill in New York City, you will be caught. You will be arrested. You will be held accountable.”
Wallace texted with his sister about birthday plans before he was killed, de Blasio said.
“He had wonderful, beautiful plans for his birthday, which friends he wanted to come to his birthday party, where he wanted to go. He was planning for a joyous moment,” de Blasio said. “Now he’s gone because of gun violence, because there are too many guns out there. Because there are people who don’t care about human life and who need to be apprehended, who should not be out there with a gun.”
