HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Police say a man arrested in the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old New York girl fired at her home after his brother’s hover board was stolen.
Nassau County Police say 20-year-old Jakwan Keller fired a single shot into a Hempstead home on Oct. 16. The bullet pierced a window and struck Dejah Joyner as she ate dinner in the living room.
The seventh-grader died the following day. Police don’t believe she was intentionally targeted.
Keller pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and other charges. He declined to comment as he was led out of police headquarters.
Acting Nassau Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter identified Keller as a gang member. He said Keller was retaliating after his younger brother’s hover board was stolen by a member of a rival gang.
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