On a spring afternoon in the Bronx, 16-year-old Angellyh Yambo was walking home from school, her future bright with dreams of medical school. It was April 8, 2022, and the young female student had just celebrated her sixteenth birthday. Her path home took her near the corner of East 156th Street and St. Ann's Avenue, a route that tragically placed her in the line of a senseless act of violence.
A dispute had erupted between two individuals, and one of them, 17-year-old Jeremiah Ryan,
pulled out a handgun and began firing. The bullets were not intended for Angellyh or the two other teenagers walking with her, but in the chaos of the moment, she was struck by a stray bullet in the chest. The shot proved to be fatal, piercing her lung and pulmonary artery. The two other teens with her were also wounded but survived. Angellyh was rushed to a nearby hospital, but her life could not be saved.
The weapon used in the shooting was a 'ghost gun,' a privately made firearm without a serial number, making it difficult to trace. The day after the shooting, authorities arrested Jeremiah Ryan in connection with the incident. He was subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, and criminal possession of a weapon.
In August 2023, to avoid a trial, Ryan pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. The following month, a judge sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison. During the sentencing, Angellyh's family expressed their profound grief and the devastating impact of her loss. Ryan offered an apology for his actions in court. In the wake of her death, Angellyh's family has worked to keep her memory alive through a foundation aimed at creating safe afterschool programs for children. A street in her neighborhood has also been renamed in her honor.
