1 of 2 teens shot outside Police Athletic League center in South Bronx dies

NEW YORK - One of the two teens shot outside a Police Athletic League center in the Bronx on Thursday night has died.

Police are still searching for a suspect wanted for shooting a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy just before 9 p.m. Thursday.

Children and their parents had to walk around caution tape on their way to school early Friday morning along Longwood Avenue. 

"There's a precinct down the street, so you'd think those things could be prevented from happening in this area," one person said. 

Sources say someone dressed in all black fired at a crowd of kids leaving the PAL New South Bronx center. It isn't clear if the two victims were the intended targets.

"I heard about three gunshots," one witness said. "Really loud. Boom, boom, boom. Consecutive." 

Maria Vargas, who has a 2-year-old, lives across the street from the PAL. She says normally the neighborhood is quiet.

"I heard, like, about three gunshots, and I woke up from my bed ... I was looking out my window, and I heard the kids going up on my building," she said.

The 15-year-old was rushed to Lincoln Hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head. Authorities said he passed away Friday afternoon. He has been identified as Josue Lopez-Ortega.

The 16-year-old was shot in the leg and is now stable. 

Police believe there was some kind of argument between the victims and suspect and the shooting was in retaliation. There are no details on what the argument was about or when it occurred. 

According to CBS2 sources, police do not believe this was gang related.

Police have released a photo of a gray Jeep Renegade they're looking for in connection to the shooting.

Yolanda Santoni says her son went to school with the 15-year-old victim.

"My son is devastated, and I haven't broke the news to my other son, who was his classmate," she said.

The boys attended M.S. 302. The 15-year-old graduated from there last June.

"I always saw them, and they always greeted me. They always said hi. They were very respectful to us," paraprofessional Nadine Walker said.

Parents in the South Bronx neighborhood told CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado they are upset the shooting happened in front of the Police Athletic League, which provides youth services to children, and right next to a high school. 

"Sometimes they think kids, 15, 16, they think they're grown, so they leave them. But mine, I don't leave my kids like that," one parent said. 

"I had a son that used to be in there. So as a parent, you think, OK, I'm leaving them there, they're going to be OK, and stuff like that. And it's just scary to think even in front of it, where you have cops down the block, and things are happening like that. It's just disappointing," said Sam Vega.

"Unfortunately, these two children, my understanding is they're part of the foster system. There are already extreme challenges in their lives. For them to come to this program for help and not get it, it's gonna be a big impact on them going forward," said Raymond Arroyo, president of the 41st Precinct Council.

"We're losing a generation of children to violence," said Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. "This is where we want kids to come to after school, on the weekends, to have a safe place to network with each other, to have fun, play games, learn."

The PAL New South Bronx center reopened Friday, reminding kids that it's still a safe haven for them. The caution tape is down, but barricades are up with police greeting kids as they come into what's considered a much-needed anchor in the community.

The Police Athletic League released the following statement Friday:

"At PAL, our hearts go out to the families of the young people involved in the tragic incident that occurred last evening in front of PAL's New South Bronx Center.

"The top priority of the Police Athletic League is the safety and well-being of our children. PAL Teen Centers, located in the South Bronx and throughout the City, provide safe spaces for young people to learn, grow and engage in productive activities with programs designed to keep youth off the streets and moving forward in the right direction. We would also like to express our gratitude to all of our community partners including the NYPD for their support of our programs." 

Police said the teens who were shot do not have any type of criminal history. 

Friday night, friends and family of the teens gathered outside the PAL center in sadness, lighting candles and remembering their dear Josue.

"I feel hurt because I was here," one friend said. "He was like a little brother to me."

"He was a sweet kid. He just liked his sports, and he liked to hang out. He used to stay at my house all the time. It's sad. My son is in pieces," one woman said.

"That could have been me," one child said.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.  

This is the third shooting in the city from this week alone where the victims were under 18. In the two other incidents -- one in the Bronx and one in Brooklyn -- both suspects were also under 18.

Last year, there were 157 shootings involving children, and in 2021, there were 137.