A 21-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with murder in the killing of Jontay Davis, the Bronx man who was left mortally wounded near St. Barnabas Hospital with two gunshot wounds to the head and later died at the hospital. Malia Rosa was taken into custody by the NYPD Warrants Squad after an anonymous tip to a crime-fighting hotline helped investigators track her down, police said.
Davis, 21, was found around 2 a.m. on September 2, 2025 near Third Avenue and Arthur Avenue, according to police cited by the New York Daily News. Rosa is now charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. The Bronx District Attorney's Office said in an October 2025 press release that the shooting actually took place miles from where Davis was left, near Allerton Avenue and Bronx Park East, before he was driven across the borough and left near the hospital's back entrance.
Surveillance footage recorded on Quarry Road near St. Barnabas captured a car stopping around 2 a.m. that morning, with three individuals carrying Davis across the street toward the hospital before driving off, according to a report from News 12 Bronx. Emergency medical staff rushed him inside, where he was pronounced dead.
How Investigators Closed In on Rosa
Police released an image around November 19 of a woman wanted in connection with the case. A tip that ultimately led to Rosa's arrest came through the Crimestoppers hotline. Police arrested Rosa in connection with the case.
Desean Edwards, 22, who lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was arrested nine days after the shooting and charged in an indictment, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office. He was remanded. Investigators recovered three firearms connected to the shooting, including an untraceable ghost gun, the Bronx District Attorney's Office said in its October 2025 announcement. Across the investigations, five of the 13 guns recovered were tied to other incidents.
A Family Reeling From Loss
Davis had graduated high school and was working toward becoming a mechanic, according to the Daily News. He lived with autism and resided with his family less than a mile from St. Barnabas Hospital, according to Norwood News. Davis's mother said he was a beautiful child, and his older sister, who started a GoFundMe to cover his funeral expenses, described him as a son, brother, uncle and friend full of life, dreams and love.
A Borough Already on Edge
Davis's death came amid a sudden surge of gun violence across the Bronx in early September 2025. Then-Mayor Eric Adams had announced the previous week a plan to deploy an extra 1,000 NYPD officers to the borough in response to violence, as reported by CBS New York. Several other fatal shootings occurred in the Bronx during that same 24-hour stretch.
The tip that led to Rosa's capture came through the NYPD's Crime Stoppers program.
What Rosa and Her Co-Defendants Could Face
Rosa and Edwards face murder charges. It remains unclear which defendant is accused of firing the fatal shots or what motive drove the shooting.
Davis was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died.
