15-year-old boy wanted in killing of bystander in Yonkers

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A 15-year-old boy is wanted for shooting a woman to death in Yonkers, according to city and police officials.

Police Commissioner Charles Gardner identified the suspect in the killing of Marilyn Cotto Montanez, 18, on April 25, 2019, as Jamir Thompson, an 8th-grade student who has a violent juvenile record.

Police identified Thompson after examining videos from several security cameras around Lake Avenue and Morningside Avenue, Gardner said.

After interviewing dozens of people, detectives believe that Thompson stole a gold chain from another teenager earlier in the day on April 25, prompting a dispute between the two of them, Gardner said. The dispute continued into the evening when Thompson opened fire with a handgun, apparently missing his target but killing Montanez, he said.

Gardner said that Thompson has had "multiple prior police contacts" and may be a member of a local gang. However, detectives do not believe this shooting was gang-related.

Gardner said that Thompson lives with his mother in Yonkers but his family is "not cooperating fully at this time" and that police cannot find him.

Police intend to charge Thompson with second-degree murder.