A Queens man and a Bronx man this week were arrested and charged in the Christmas Day shooting that left one dead in Richmond Hill, according to police and published reports.
James Bryant, 20, was found by cops around 2:30 p.m. on 126th Street and 89th Avenue with a gunshot wound to his neck. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators nabbed Jamar Alexander, 25, of Queens and Abu Quick, 23, of the Bronx on Monday night and charged both with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The pair was due to be arraigned on Tuesday. Cops did not divulge possible motives.
Court records indicate that Quick and Alexander are currently fighting felony charges in other, unrelated cases.
Crime is down overall this year in the 102nd Precinct, according to the latest CompStat figures. Compared to this time last year, major felonies have dipped roughly 8 percent. Violent crimes—murder, rape, robbery, felony assault—have dropped dramatically, compared to 2013. Including the Christmas Day incident, murders are down more than 60 percent; rape complaints are down almost 38 percent; robberies have dropped 26 percent compared to last year; and felony assaults are down 25 percent.
CompStat numbers show that burglaries (2 percent), grand larcenies (3 percent) and car thefts (2 percent) are up slightly this year compared to 2013.
By Michael V. Cusenza
