Man gets 15 years to life in prison for the ‘ghost-gun’ killing of 16-year-old honor roll student

A Bronx man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the “ghost-gun” killing of a 16-year-old honor roll student slain while walking home from school with two other teens wounded when a senseless argument escalated into bloodshed.

Jeremiah Ryan, 18, learned his fate in the April 8, 2022, killing of Angellyh Yambo, 16, prosecutors said in a news release.

Angellyh’s mother had choice words for the killer outside the Bronx Criminal Court.

“I just wish that he stays in jail for the rest of his life,” she said in a news conference on Friday. “Even that won’t bring me comfort because I won’t have my daughter again, but at least we can keep another innocent life out of harm.”

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, who stood by the family at the news conference, said the day Angellyh was killed was terrible.

“They should not be standing here today,” Clark said. “They should be celebrating the fact that she’s in school once again, pursuing her dream to be a doctor and be the vibrant young woman she was. But instead, she was shot down by another youth — 17 years old — he now stands convicted and is going to do 15 years to life in prison.”

In court, Ryan addressed spoke quietly, saying, “I apologize for my actions. I’m sorry,” the Bronx Times reported.

The gun violence happened when authorities said an argument escalated between individuals “gesturing back and forth” with others at 510 East 156th Street.

Ryan fired at least six shots, striking Angellyh and a boy and a girl, both 17. The bullet struck Angellyh in her upper back and pierced her lung and pulmonary artery. One teen was shot in the left leg. The other suffered a gunshot wound to the butt.

Authorities said Ryan used an untraceable ghost gun made from parts bought online with no serial numbers.

Clark said the guns are a significant threat to public safety and are being used in crimes more and more in New York City.

Since her death, Angellyh’s family established a foundation to create safe havens for children and have worked with legislators on policies to combat gun violence.

In June, U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY, commemorated National Gun Violence Awareness Month, naming federal legislation in the victim’s honor with the “Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Expansion Act of 2023” that aims to ban ghost guns and expand “gun-free school zones.”

“I’m proud to introduce the ‘Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Expansion Act of 2023’ in honor and memory of a beloved daughter, friend, and honor roll student who should still be with us today,” Torres said.

Mary Hernandez, Angellyh Yambo’s aunt and CEO/founder of the Angellyh Yambo Foundation, said gun violence is a national crisis that demands a national solution.

“The ‘Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Expansion Act of 2023’ will help kids in our community feel a little safer walking from and to school,” she said.

On the first anniversary of Angellyh’s death this past April, New York Mayor Eric Adams honored the straight-A student at Bronx Preparatory Charter School by naming a street in her honor.