In the Bronx, a borough of New York City, a violent feud between rival gangs would ultimately claim the life of 16-year-old Nisayah Sanchez. On the afternoon of September 29, 2021, Sanchez was standing outside a bodega on East 187th Street in the Belmont neighborhood with a 23-year-old man. Suddenly, a gray Honda Accord pulled up, and two individuals emerged from the vehicle. They approached Sanchez and the other man, opening fire with handguns.
Sanchez suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and the back of his head. The assailants then got back into their car and fled the scene. Emergency services rushed Sanchez to St. Barnabas Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries early the next morning. The 23-year-old man with him was also shot in the arm and foot but survived.
The investigation into the murder of Nisayah Sanchez, a male, initially led to an arrest in October 2021. Xavier Rosado, 21, was taken into custody and faced charges including murder, attempted murder, and assault. However, the case evolved significantly over the following years. In December 2025, federal authorities announced the unsealing of an indictment charging two different men, Ahmar Garcia, also known as 'OB,' and Raheem Patterson, also known as 'Rah Rah,' with the murder of the teenager. At the time of the federal charges, Garcia was 25 and Patterson was 28.
The federal indictment painted a grim picture of a deadly gang war plaguing the Bronx. Authorities alleged that Garcia and Patterson were members of an alliance of gangs known as the MacBallers, Drillys, and 800 YGz. Their motive for the brazen daylight shooting was reportedly retaliation for the murders of their own gang members. Nisayah Sanchez was identified as a member of the rival Sev Side, Third Side, and Reyway gang alliance. Garcia and Patterson were charged with murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. They were already in state custody for other violent crimes when the federal charges were brought against them.
