UPDATE: Bronx District Attorney Identifies Alleged Shooter of Murdered American Teenager of Guatemalan Garifuna Heritage, Ky-Mani Woods
The Alleged Shooter is 17 Years Old, the same age as Ky-Mani Woods
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Copyright 2023 by Teofilo Colon Jr (a.k.a. “Tio Teo” or “T.O. Tayo”) for Being Garifuna. All Rights Reserved. Contact Tio Teo.
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Bronx, New York – Bronx District Attorney, Miss Darcel D. Clark in a Press Release, publicly identified the alleged shooter who shot and killed American Teenager of Guatemalan Garifuna Heritage, Ky-Mani Woods, publicly referred to as Kymani Woods.
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As detailed in a prior BEING GARIFUNA Post, an Arrest was made. However, The Press Release sheds more details about what the Police Investigation has found out so far as to what happened that tragic night in the Bronx.
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Bronx District Attorney Miss Darcel D. Clark announced that the 17 Year Old Alleged Shooter, who is from The Bronx, was indicted on Murder, Manslaughter, and additional charges in the murder of Ky-Mani Woods (publicly referred to as Kymani Woods) at the Burke Avenue Subway Station in the Bronx on the 2/5 Subway Line on Monday, April 10th 2023, the day after Easter.
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NOTE: I am making the Executive Decision to NOT identify and/or name the alleged shooter on this website. There were more people involved in this crime and at the time of the Press Release, they have NOT been caught.
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Out of Concern for the safety of Ky-Mani Woods’s family, as well as my own safety, I will be CAUTIOUS and NOT include the name of the alleged shooter on the BEING GARIFUNA Website. In initial news reports, the Media explained that his name was not released due to he being a minor (under the age of 18). However, for those who are curious, they can read the Bronx District Attorney Press Release themselves. I will refer to him as either The Defendant or The Alleged Shooter.
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District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said,
“Yet Again, we are talking about the death of a boy at the hands of boys with a gun. The defendant, in concert with others, allegedly shot at the victim (Ky-Mani Woods) as he tumbled down the Subway Station stairwell, then as the victim lay on the ground, he was shot multiple times at close range by one of the assailants. As I have said, we are losing a generation to gun violence in the Bronx and everyone must help end this carnage.” – Bronx District Attorney, Miss Darcel D. Clark
24-2023 Press Release, Office of The District Attorney, Bronx County, April 18th 2023.
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Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark added that the Defendant, 17, is charged with second-degree Murder, second-degree Manslaughter and two counts of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The defendant was arraigned on Monday, April 17th 2023 before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph McCormack and was remanded. The defendant was due back in court on Thursday, April 20th 2023 for a retention hearing.
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According to the Investigation, on Monday, April 10th 2023 at approximately 10pm, in the Burke Ave Subway Station on the 2/5 line along White Plains Road, the defendant and three other unapprehended indivduals approached the victim, Kymani Woods, 17 on the elevated subway platform.
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There was a struggle, The defendant is seen on surveillance video with a gun in his hand, as the victim is thrown down the stairs and shot at, at least five times.
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Moments later, one of the unapprehended individuals is seen shooting the victim multiple times at close range, as he lay on the ground. When the police arrived, they also found The Defendant with a gunshot wound to his thigh.
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The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Kamens of the Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and under the overall supervision of James Brennan, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division, and Theresa Gottlieb, Chief of the Trial Division.
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District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Rashawn Merrick of the 47th Precinct Squad and Patrick Sullivan of The Bronx Homicide Squad for their work in the Investigation.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and NOT proof of a defendant’s guilt.
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Remember, there were more people involved in this crime who as of the time of the press release, have NOT been caught yet. The investigation is still ongoing.
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Ky-Mani Woods’s Viewing
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Ky-Mani Woods’s viewing was on SATURDAY, April 22nd 2023 at Ortiz Funeral Home on Westchester Avenue in the Bronx. NYPD Police Officers had a presence there as Police Officers were outside the Funeral Home and Police Cars were parked out front.
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The viewing was a Sad Occasion, but it was good to see Garinagu (Plural for Garifuna) I hadn’t seen in person in Years. The Covid-19 Pandemic shut down public and social activity for a few years in New York City and we are just getting used to seeing each other again.
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What struck me was how tiny Ky-Mani Woods looked in his casket. The coffin itself was copper or light brown colored and Ky-Mani wore a black hooded sweatshirt along with a black New York Yankees baseball cap. The black clothing contrasted with the inner white surroundings in the casket and the size of the coffin served as to highlight to me that he was a child. The coffin seemed to engulf him.
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I got there late, at about 8pm, just as the Viewing was ending. I stood by the coffin, which was surrounded by family and friends, and said a Prayer for Ky-Mani Woods and hugged his mother, Ruth. Ky-Mani was her only child and now he’s gone. Ruth will need all the support she can get. Ky-Mani’s father, who is of Bahamian heritage, passed away in 2007, when Ky-Mani was Two Years Old, so he was raised by a Single Mother.
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Reading the Ky-Mani’s Obituary, I learned that he was a funny, smart, loving and caring individual.
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Ky-Mani Woods was also heavily involved in Sports. He played Youth Football for the Bronx Bears and Harlem Jets. As I reported previously, Ky-Mani was a Running Back for the Bronx Bears.
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Ky-Mani also participated in MCF Warpath Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. According to the Obituary, he also played Basketball, was also involved in the Big Brother/Big Sister of America and a Gun Hill Community Program (Gun Hill is a neighborhood in the Bronx). Also, Ky-Mani was involved in a Program with Police Officer Manley and Police Officer Gomez.
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Ky-Mani attended schools in both New York City and Miami and according to the Obituary, was on his way to completing his G.E.D.
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Black Urban Youth Culture is POISONOUS?
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While reviewing Ky-Mani Woods’s life, I can’t help but think about the Contemporary Cultural Force that has Black Youth Culture in a headlock right now. The Streets, Drill Music, Drug Culture, Hip-Hop, etc are all intertwined like fingers on two hands enclasped into each other.
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I am told that Singer of Guatemalan Garifuna Heritage, Paula Castillo, attended the viewing. I hadn’t seen her since I got to the viewing late, but in a speech to the assembled mourners, she expressed sorrow and discontent over the seeming increasing loss of influence over youths of Garifuna Heritage. We’re losing far too many youths to Street Politics.
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I do not know how involved Ky-Mani Woods was in Black Urban Youth Culture, but a viral YouTube video I have seen talking about Ky-Mani’s Death, with both friends and apparent enemies responding to the Death, suggests that Ky-Mani was somewhat into that culture or at the least, had friends or colleagues involved in that culture. I will not link to that video here out of Respect to Ky-Mani’s family.
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Working Parents can’t compete against this combined deadly cultural force. How can they? The call of the Streets is so seductive, so hypnotic, I can only imagine being a Parent. Add to that the entitlement attitude that is encouraged amongst youths in a variety of ways, and you have a sickness more deadly than Covid-19.
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Think about it, people (especially Young People) are less inclined to work, want something for nothing, listen to Drill Music that tells them to kill their enemies and indulge in Dangerous behavior, the inability to resolve conflicts peacefully, the constant taunting and/or teasing of enemies on social media websites like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc., it’s all a TOXIC MESS. What can we do?
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Ky-Mani Woods in The National Gun Violence Memorial Website
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Ky-Mani Woods’s life was ended before it even started. And for what? Maybe the Police Investigation will uncover why what happened, happened. This destructive cycle MUST be stopped. The lure of the streets has proven to be Irresistible to many over the Decades. How much more will we have to suffer over the loss of loved ones to the Streets?
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