16-Year-Old Suspect in Fatal Shooting of 13-Year-Old Turns Himself In
A 16-year-old boy has reportedly surrendered to the police after being identified as the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old in what is believed to be a gang-related incident outside a Dunkin’ Donuts in Queens this week, according to law enforcement sources.
Jaysohn Sykes, a student at Campus Magnet High School, turned himself in at the 105 Precinct stationhouse around noon on Friday. His surrender came one day after NYPD officials publicly named him as the suspect involved in the shooting death of Sanjay Samuel, who was killed on Monday morning just outside the Springfield Gardens coffee shop.
Investigators believe Sykes, who is known by the nickname “Flex,” confronted a group prior to the shooting, stated NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny during a briefing on Thursday. “He approaches the group and engages in a confrontation. There is an exchange of insults, which ultimately leads to the group scattering,” he described.
According to Kenny, “At this point, it’s believed that our suspect brandishes a firearm, which causes the crowd to scatter a bit.” The situation escalated when Sykes returned to confront Samuel after initially trying to leave. “A physical altercation ensues, and during this fight, a shot is fired, resulting in Samuel being shot. The perpetrator then flees the scene,” he elaborated.
In a concerning development, Samuel was linked to the SSM (Sex Money Murder) gang—a known subset of the Bloods—through his social media activities, prompting investigators to suspect a potential gang-related motive for the violence. Despite this, Samuel, who used the moniker “J2 Guns” on Instagram, was not recorded in the NYPD’s “criminal group database” and had no significant criminal record, as confirmed by a police spokesperson.
Samuel’s family has firmly denied any claims of gang affiliation or involvement in criminal activity.
In contrast, Sykes is noted to have made several social media posts featuring imagery associated with violence but without direct references to gang affiliation, according to Chief Kenny.
Reports indicate that the US Marshals Service facilitated Sykes’s surrender. However, as of now, formal charges have yet to be filed against him.
