17-year-old girl stabbed to death in courtyard of Bronx building, teen in custody

The courtyard of a Bronx building was left stained with the blood of a 17-year-old girl after she was stabbed to death, cops and witnesses said.

Officers were called to Boynton Ave. near Watson Ave. in Soundview just after 2:15 p.m., police said. When they arrived, they discovered the teenaged girl suffering from a stab wound to the chest.

Medics rushed her to Jacobi Medical Center, but she could not be saved.

Neighbors recalled watching a group of about 10 kids surround the victim.

The building’s superintendent told the Daily News that the stabber, also a teenaged girl, is a resident there.

“[The attacker] came out of the building, and the other girl came from outside,” said super Armando De La Cruz. “They started fighting, and one of them pulled a knife and stabbed the other.”

The girl left the victim on the ground and left as two boys tried to help her, according to De La Cruz.

“I thought they were playing.” said witness Jerry White, 61. “They were just kids. Then people were running back and forth getting tissues to stop the bleeding.”

White said “a bunch” of the kids involved ran back into the building, leaving the girl to bleed out in the courtyard.

“It’s sad,” said White. “It’s unbelievable. She was just a kid.”

The victim attended a school housed in the nearby James Monroe High School, according to White.

“I spoke to her this morning,” White said. “She was upset over a fight with her sister.

“She had dreams of being someone in life,” he added. “For her life to end this way, it’s sad.”

As police investigated the grisly scene, a handcuffed girl was led from the building and into a waiting police car.

“It was like she didn’t realize what happened,” said Will Hierrezuelo, 38. “She was in shock.”

Police took three people into custody for questioning after the stabbing and released all but a 16-year-old girl, police sources said. Charges against the girl were pending.

The fight was caught on surveillance video, which cops are reviewing, according to the superintendent.

“She was a nice, beautiful little girl,” said Hierrezuelo. “We have to do better as a community. It’s kids killing kids.”

The girl’s name was not released as police worked to notify family of her death.

Crime in the NYPD’s 43rd Precinct, which covers a portion of the southeast Bronx, is down this year, according to the most recent NYPD data.

So far this year major crimes, which the NYPD classifies as murders, rapes, robberies, felony assault, grand larceny, burglary and grand larceny of an auto, all saw downticks.

Most significant were murders, with one victim so far this year compared to three during the same week in 2023, according to the data released Sunday. The figure is a 67% decrease.