Four teenagers are accused of taking part in the deadly shooting of a 23-year-old man on Syracuse’s southwest side last month.
Atreyu Boykins, 17, and Jaeden Campbell, 16, are accused of causing the death of Darren Rosa in early June.
Both are charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property and other charges, officials said.
The two teens have had links to other past violent crimes, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
“We certainly need our citizens to help us to hold other individuals accountable in the criminal justice system,” said Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner.
Two other teens, Tahson Sampson, 17, and Anthony Dowdell, 18, were also arrested.
Dowdell is accused of helping to steal the car used in the homicide and Sampson is accused of driving the vehicle.
Fitzpatrick argued that New York’s bail reform laws were to blame for such crimes. He says the laws were well intentioned, but are contributing to a rise in violent crime.
“For 15 years, I have directed my staff that bail is not punitive for the poor and non-violent offenders. And every single judge, with the exception of one or two outliers - and we corrected those mistakes - followed those guidelines. Bail reform was a disaster for Onondaga County,” said Fitzpatrick.
Crime has been on the uptick nationwide, not only in Syracuse. In 2020, cities across the country saw more than a 30% increase in homicides, according to the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.
Currently, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest bail reform is at the root of increased crime rates.
Rosa’s murder marked the eleventh homicide in the city of Syracuse in 2021.