Angellyh Yambo, 16-year-old killed in Bronx stray bullet shooting, honored with street renaming
NEW YORK -- A tribute was held Saturday for 16-year-old Angellyh Yambo, who was struck by a stray bullet and killed in the Bronx a year ago.
The corner of Bailey Avenue and Bailey Place in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx now shares Angellyh Marieh Yambo's name. Exactly a year after her tragic death last April, it was a struggle for Manuel Yambo to speak about his only daughter.
"Where many of you walked to get to this spot that you are standing on, Angellyh walked the same steps," Yambo said.
"Seeing her name now where she was raised and loved means a lot. I didn't want her name to be in a place where she lost her life," said Yanely Henriquez, Angellyh's mother.
The teen was shot in the chest by a stray bullet on April 8, 2022, just feet from her South Bronx school, University Prep Charter School.
READ MORE: 16-year-old Angellyh Yambo killed, two more teens injured in shooting near South Bronx High School
It all happened just after she celebrated her Sweet 16. She had goals of going to medical school.
Councilmember Pierina Sanchez read part of the teen's high school application essay at Saturday's tribute.
"As a shy student, I prefer to work independently, but I'm open to work in groups and push myself beyond my discomfort," she read.
Police say the bullet was fired from a virtually untraceable ghost gun.
Since Angellyh's death, federal law now requires ghost guns that can be assembled at home be licensed and have serial numbers. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams and Attorney General Letitia James have since filed a lawsuit against 10 ghost gun manufacturers.
"When that bullet pierced her body, it also ripped apart the anatomy of our community. The pain never dissipates," Adams said Saturday.
Angellyh's family also started a foundation named after her, with the goal of keeping kids safe with afterschool programs.
"We turned this tragic moment to something positive, and through the foundation, we'll live through her legacy," Henriquez said.
The suspected shooter, 17-year-old Jeremiah Ryan, was charged with murder and manslaughter last year. He's believed by police to have 3-D printed his ghost gun.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark says Ryan is still in jail and awaiting trial.