In the heart of Mount Vernon, a senseless act of violence claimed the life of 14-year-old Zyaire Fernandez in the spring of 2023. On the morning of March 9th, at approximately 10:35 AM, the courtyard of the Levister Towers apartment complex was pierced by the sound of gunfire. When the echoes faded, Fernandez was left with a fatal gunshot wound. First responders rushed to the scene, and the young male was quickly transported to Montefiore Mount Vernon Emergency Room.
Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The community was left reeling from the loss of a young life described as full of promise. Fernandez was a ninth-grade student at the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, where he was known as a good student and a talented basketball player. Those who knew him remembered an infectious smile and a deep loyalty to his family and friends. In the wake of his death, his family and friends gathered for a vigil, remembering a boy who had dreams of success and whose life, they emphasized, mattered.
The investigation into the shooting was a collaborative effort involving the Mount Vernon Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the Westchester County Police Real Time Crime Center. Their work led to a swift arrest in the case. In the early hours of March 14, 2023, detectives and federal agents located and apprehended 21-year-old Tyrese L. Coghiel in Brooklyn.
Coghiel was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. At the time of his arrest, he had no prior criminal history. The case was handed over to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office for prosecution. While an arrest was made, the motive for the shooting was not immediately clear to the public, leaving a community to grapple with the violent end of a young life and the search for justice that was to follow.
