A 15-year-old was indicted on murder and attempted murder charges Tuesday in connection with an August shooting that killed 20-year-old Brandon Garcia and wounded four teenagers near Palisade Avenue and Elm Street in Yonkers. The teen was arraigned in the Youth Part of Westchester County Court, where he pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail at a local youth detention facility.
Garcia had moved from New York to Virginia with his family five years earlier so they could give him a better environment, and he was only back in Yonkers visiting his biological mother when he was killed, according to CBS News New York. He was scheduled to return to Virginia just days after the shooting. As reported by DailyVoice, the shooting occurred around 8:43 p.m. on August 2, when the suspect approached the intersection on foot and opened fire toward a group gathered there, hitting five people total. Garcia was shot in the back and later died at an area hospital, while the four surviving teens suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Five Seconds That Left One Dead, Four Wounded
Surveillance video obtained during the investigation showed the gunman stepping out from behind a parked bus into the roadway to fire across the street, with the entire attack lasting approximately five seconds, according to FOX 5 New York. A Yonkers Police Department press release detailed the injuries suffered by the four surviving victims: a 16-year-old male shot in the left shoulder, a 15-year-old male shot in the left thigh, a 15-year-old male shot in the stomach, and a 14-year-old female shot in the left leg. All four were transported in critical but stable condition and were expected to recover, per the department.
A Yonkers police captain responded to the gunshots and tracked the fleeing suspect, who was apprehended about a block away on St. Casimir Avenue, per the DailyVoice account. Investigators later recovered a firearm, ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, and other evidence tied to the case. Police determined the 9mm Taurus semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting, from which the teen fired roughly eight shots, had been reported stolen out of Georgia, according to News 12 Hudson Valley.
Investigators Probed Possible Gang Connection
Yonkers police described the shooting as targeted rather than random, and the department's Gang Unit investigated whether the attack was connected to a gang initiation or group violence, according to Patch. Whether that theory was ultimately confirmed remains an open question tied to the ongoing investigation.
News 12 Hudson Valley also reported that Garcia's adoptive parents, Carlos and Rosa Garcia, originally took him in as foster parents when he was six years old before officially adopting him two years later. A GoFundMe set up for Garcia's family carries a fundraising goal of $16,000 and had raised just over $6,000 as of Tuesday.
Grand Jury Charges Span Murder to Weapons Counts
Cedar News reported that the Westchester County District Attorney's Office secured the grand jury indictment before Judge Sheralyn Pulver in Youth Part, charging the teen with Class A-1 second-degree murder, four Class B violent felony counts of attempted murder, four Class D violent felony counts of assault, and weapons charges. Per the DailyVoice report, the indictment also includes four counts of second-degree assault, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree reckless endangerment. The teen's identity has been withheld under New York's juvenile-offender law, and he is scheduled to return to court on December 11.
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace condemned the shooting as a tragic example of youth gun violence in a public statement relayed by Cedar News, pledging to hold violent offenders accountable regardless of age. Under New York Penal Law § 70.05, 13- to 15-year-olds charged with second-degree murder are designated Juvenile Offenders and prosecuted in the Youth Part of adult court rather than Family Court, facing potential indeterminate prison sentences, according to the Law Office of Adam J. Willman.
A Rare Homicide Amid a Quieter Year
The shooting came against the backdrop of an otherwise quieter year for violence in Yonkers. Prior to the August 2 attack, the city had not recorded a homicide since August 2025, with 2026 year-to-date homicides down 83% compared to the previous year, according to Yonkers Rising. Even so, the case underscores how a single public, multi-victim incident involving a stolen out-of-state weapon can remain a serious concern for local law enforcement even as overall crime trends improve.
The shooting is one of several recent violent incidents involving young people in Yonkers, while a separate fatal shooting in Riverdale led to a murder charge against a Yonkers man. How the stolen Georgia firearm made its way into the 15-year-old's hands, and the ongoing recovery status of the four wounded teens, remain unresolved questions as the case moves toward its December court date.
