20-year old Brandon Garcia, right, was shot and killed on Aug. 2
On Sept. 15, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that a 15-year-old Yonkers resident was indicted in connection with an August shooting that killed 20-year-old Brandon Garcia and injured four teenagers in Yonkers.
The Juvenile Offender was arraigned Tuesday before Judge Sheralyn Pulver in Youth Part after being indicted by a Westchester County Grand Jury on the following charges:
• Murder in the Second Degree: Class A-1 felony
• Four counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree: Class B violent felony
• Four counts of Assault in the Second Degree: Class D violent felony
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree: Class C violent felony
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree: Class D felony
• Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree: Class D felony
The Juvenile Offender pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at a local youth detention facility. The defendant is due back in court on December 11, 2026.
New York law prohibits the release of identifying information about Juvenile Offenders. Therefore, no further identifying information about the defendant will be released at this time.
DA Cacace said: “This case is another tragic and deeply troubling example of a young person allegedly possessing a gun and causing irreparable harm in our own backyard. The defendant’s alleged deliberate actions claimed one life, left four teenagers wounded, and forever changed countless lives. I commend the Yonkers Police Department for their swift response and courage, which undoubtedly prevented further tragedy. Gun violence has no place in Westchester County, and we will hold accountable those who callously open fire, take lives, and endanger our communities, regardless of their age.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said: “This was a senseless act of gun violence that took the life of a young man and left four other teenagers wounded. From the moment the first call came in, our Officers and Detectives worked relentlessly to identify the person responsible and build the strongest possible case. This indictment is the result of that work and our continued partnership with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. We will continue to use every resource available to us to hold accountable those who bring illegal guns and violence into our communities.”
On Aug. 2, 2026, at roughly 8:43 p.m., the Juvenile Offender allegedly fired approximately eight shots from a 9mm Taurus semi-automatic handgun toward a group gathered near Palisade Avenue and Elm Street in Yonkers, striking five people, including Garcia and four teenagers, before fleeing the area on foot.
A Yonkers Police Captain who heard the gunshots immediately responded to the scene and pursued and tracked the Juvenile Offender while coordinating the response of additional officers. The defendant was apprehended and taken into custody approximately one block from the scene on St. Casimir Avenue.
Garcia, a Yonkers resident, suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was treated at the scene before being transported to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The four teenage victims were treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
The Yonkers Police Department, which conducted the investigation, recovered a firearm, ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, and other evidence from the scene.
The case is being prosecuted by Bureau Chief Craig Ascher and Assistant District Attorney Victoria Clarkson, both of the Trials Division.