16-year-old girl fatally shot in Bronx by 14-year-old boy was bystander, officials say

A 16-year-old girl was shot and killed in the Bronx on Monday afternoon, according to the NYPD.

Police said officers responded to a 911 call about a shooting around 5:05 p.m. near Home Street and Tinton Avenue in the Morrisania neighborhood. They found the teen unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.

She was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police.

NYPD officials identified her as Evette Jeffrey and said she lived just a few blocks from where she was shot.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Mayor Eric Adams' office said he visited the scene around 7:15 p.m. Monday. In a video statement later in the night, he said Jeffrey was "not the intended target" of the shooting.

The suspected shooter was a 14-year-old boy who had threatened his mother with a gun, the mayor said.

"She was afraid of him," he said, adding that he spoke with a group of parents in the neighborhood and encouraged them to look in their children's rooms to "find out what they're bringing inside the house."

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson expressed condolences for Jeffrey's loved ones and asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the NYPD.

"We are outraged that this tragedy occurred near a school and adjacent playground — places that should be safe havens for our children," Gibson said in a statement. "We must do better to protect our communities and safeguard them from gun violence."

Andrew Giambrone contributed reporting. This story has been updated with additional information.