Arrest made in deadly shooting of 17-year-old Xavier Navarez in the Bronx
NEW YORK -- There are new developments in the deadly shooting of a 17-year-old in the Bronx who was set to graduate high school next year.
His accused killer is now behind bars and the teenager's heartbroken family wants answers.
Investigators have charged James Walker, 33, with murder and manslaughter in the death of Xavier Navarez.
While the accused's connection to Navarez and motive are unknown, the family said the answers to those questions are not going to bring their loved one back.
Here's what police say happened on Saturday
About to graduate high school next year, Navarez took graduation photos just a month ago and was working on starting a clothing business. He had everything mapped out.
"He was so excited to start that, looking at fabrics, threads, materials, all types of different things to get him going and started," brother Gabriel Maldonado said.
And then came that terrible moment Saturday night on Oak Terrace in Mott Haven, less than a mile from where Navarez lived. Police say the 17-year-old was shot in the back several times at around 9:30 p.m. One woman saw the aftermath.
"The cop took over, and the cop kept doing compressions," she said. "It's hurtful. How can you see someone like that?"
"He had so much to live for"
The heartbreak was palpable Sunday as family and close friends trying to cope gathered at the building where Navarez once lived.
"He didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. He had so much to live for," Maldonado said.
"It's too emotional right now. It don't feel real," friend Fern Bernard added.
Many had tears in their eyes. The victim's sister was too grief stricken to speak. But there's one thing for certain: Navarez was a good kid who had a bright future.
"Xavier has always been the funny kid, smart," aunt Olga Mulcahey-Baez said. "He was excited about what was coming."
"It's unfortunate his life was taken so soon," Bernard said.
He's gone, but won't be forgotten. Family and friends say Navarez made his short life the best possible in the time he had.
"We are going to miss him and he will always be missed. We love him," Bernard said.
