A 19-year-old city man has been charged with the murder of 12-year-old Genesis Rincon who was shot in the head during the weekend on Rosa Parks Boulevard, announced authorities on Wednesday morning.
Jhymiere Moore, 19-year-old, alleged shooter turned himself into police on Tuesday, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes.
Valdes said the alleged shooter was in the city’s police lockup since midnight Wednesday. When asked whether the shooter turned himself in alone or was accompanied by anyone else, Valdes refused to comment. A social media rumor has it that Moore was accompanied by his mother last night when he turned himself into police.
Justice has been delivered for Genesis, said mayor Jose “Joey” Torres standing with city and county law enforcement. When she was fatally shot on Saturday at around 8:30 p.m., Rincon was returning to a family gathering after attempting to purchase some apples from a nearby grocery store.
When she and two other friends of hers visited the store they found the shop was closed. While returning, a gunman, allegedly Moore, fired multiple shots out of a vehicle described by witnesses as a white jeep. One of the bullets landed on the head of the little girl, leaving her near death.
Frantic police officers requested advanced life support through the radio asking for an ambulance which transported Rincon to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center. At the hospital, she was found to be brain dead.
A day following the shooting, on Sunday at around 11:20 a.m. she was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the prosecutor’s office. Her family decided to donate the girl’s organs to other patients in need of organ transplant. Rincon’s donated organs saved five people this week, according to Della Fischer, a pastor close to the family.
Rincon’s death caused a city wide outrage. Hundreds of city resident rallied in front of the city hall Tuesday evening demanding the killer turn himself in. Valdes credited the community’s action which, she said, resulted in the shooter turning himself in yesterday. However, even before the suspect decided to turn himself in authorities had identified him and were scouring the city to make an arrest.
The prosecutor said community pressure caused Moore to surrender to authorities.
Valdes would not say whether the police are searching for other suspects connected to this incident. “Moore was charged with one count of first degree Murder which carries a maximum penalty of life; one count of second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose which carries a maximum penalty of ten years; and one count of second degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon which carries a maximum penalty of ten years,” according to authorities. Moore’s bail has been set at $2 million.
Torres promised to put more police officers on the ground to possibly prevent a future recurrence of a similar event. “At the end of the month, we will be adding 26 new police officers,” said Torres. “They will be deployed at the end of the month.”
