On a Tuesday evening in Ridgewood, Queens, 19-year-old Kevin Hernandez was fatally shot. The incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. on April 22, 2025, in front of 1726 George Street. Officers who arrived at the scene discovered Hernandez with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was quickly transported to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
At the time of the incident, Hernandez was reportedly just a five-minute walk from his home on Bleecker Street.
According to the investigation, Hernandez was on a moped on George Street when a group of about nine teenagers walking on Seneca Avenue turned onto the same street. Hernandez made a U-turn and stopped his moped in front of 1728 George Street, which is across from Joseph F. Quinn Intermediate School 77. As the group of teens got closer, one of them, a 16-year-old male from Brooklyn, allegedly stepped into the street with another teen. This individual is then said to have pulled out a firearm, assumed a shooting stance, and fired at Hernandez. After being shot, Hernandez staggered forward before falling to the ground. The shooter and the other teenagers fled the scene. Police later found two 9 mm shell casings at the location.
Following the shooting, an investigation led to the arrest of a 16-year-old male from Flushing Avenue in Brooklyn. A Queens grand jury indicted the teenager on charges of murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and tampering with physical evidence. He was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court and remanded without bail. If convicted, the suspect faces a sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison. The same suspect was also indicted for a robbery and assault that occurred the night before the murder at the Myrtle Avenue subway station. In that incident, he and two others allegedly punched a 17-year-old and stole his sneakers, hat, and cell phone.
