QUEENS — Police have arrested three people in connection to the death of a 16-year-old boy whose body was dumped on the sidewalk outside of a New Year’s Eve party, officials said.
Jihad Jackson, of Rosedale, was fatally shot in the neck shortly before midnight, police said.
He was found unconscious and unresponsive on the corner of 109th Avenue and Merrick Boulevard at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
But investigators soon realized that the shooting took place inside an apartment located on that same corner. The teen’s body, wrapped in a sheet, was taken downstairs and left on the street, police said.
On Saturday, police arrested 18-year-old Eduardo Placencia, his mother Natalie Placencia, 49, and her boyfriend Dorian Carr, 48, who officials said took the body from the apartment. They also tried to hide the blood-stained sheet in nearby bushes, according to the criminal complaint.
All three suspects were charged with tampering with physical evidence and ordered held on $100,000 bail, according to the Queens District Attorney's office. They are due back in court on Jan. 13.
Police believe the gunman is still at large, officials said Monday morning.
The motive for the shooting and the circumstances remain unclear, police said.