16-Year-Old Shot, Killed Outside Bronx Deli

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A teenager was shot and killed outside a Bronx deli Wednesday.

It happened just after noon on Boston Road in the Morrisania section.

Surveillance video shows a man tapping the 16-year-old on the shoulder as he stands in front of the deli.

The teen then walks in front of the man, and moments later, the man reaches inside his jacket, pulls out a gun and shoots the teen.

A teenager was shot and killed outside a Bronx deli on Dec. 23, 2020. (Credit: CBS2)

Bodega manager Wal Sultan was still catching his breath hours after the shooting.

"I can't even explain to you how I feel," Sultan told CBS2's Cory James. "I feel so bad for him."

NYPD investigators say the teen was shot once in the neck before staggering inside the deli on the corner of Boston Road and East 166th Street.

Luiz Hernandez works at a supermarket next door to the deli and showed CBS2 video of two bystanders taking off after hearing the shooter pull the trigger.

It was a loud, frightening sound that Hernandez says sent him racing outside of his store, only to find the young victim on the ground.

"When I saw him, he was on the floor, man. He was bleeding out, I guess, and I was scared out of my life, you know. I was, like, I was shocked," Hernandez said.

The victim was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as James Solano, of the Bronx.

MORE: Tracking Shootings In NYC

It's a tragic death that some believe is common in this neighborhood, where the number of shooting victims went from nearly 900 in 2019 to more than 1,800 so far this year.

"One of my clients, her son got shot in the neck, and this happened only two months ago," Hernandez said.

Surveillance video shows a man wearing a black jacket over a hoodie pull out a gun and fatally shoot a 16-year-old boy in front of a Bronx deli on Dec. 23, 2020. (Credit: CBS2)

"We need the cops always around here. We need the cops to be around here always, like, 24/7 because the area is very dangerous," Sultan said.

Police say the suspect took off on foot wearing a black jacket that was over a hoodie. They are hoping surveillance video will help identify that person.

There's no word on a motive.

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