A wild melee erupted inside a Long Island courtroom when a murder suspect faced a judge for the first time.
The suspect, 18-year-old Jeremias Ferrufino Rodriguez, was arrested on second-degree murder charges. Nassau County Police said he shot and killed another teen Saturday at an intersection in Hempstead, where he lives.
After a county judge ordered Ferrufino Rodriguez held without bail on Monday, a young man sitting in the courtroom shouted several times to the defendant, telling Ferrufino Rodriguez to “hold your head up.”
As New York state court officers tried to remove the unidentified man, the confrontation turned violent. At least a half dozen court officers eventually pinned the man to the ground and later, dragged him from courtroom.
A spokesperson for the Nassau County district attorney's office said the unidentified man appeared to be a member of the defendant’s family. It was not immediately clear if he was arrested.
During the incident, an unidentified woman shouted at the court officers, asking “why are so many of you holding him down? He has rights.” The woman later refused to comment on the incident.
Ferrufino-Rodriguez knew his alleged victim, 19-year-old Jefferson Mancia Fernandez, who was in the process of helping his mom move to a new apartment Saturday, according to Nassau County Police Homicide Commander Det. Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick.
Mancia Fernandez was walking near the intersection of West Graham Avenue and Virginia Avenue when a car pulled up alongside him. A gunman fired one shot from the car, striking Mancia Fernandez in the chest. He later died.
Police arrested Ferrufino Rodriguez Sunday at his Hempstead home. No murder weapon has been recovered, according to Captain Fitzpatrick.
“These two individuals knew each other, this was a targeted event,” said Capt. Fitzpatrick. “Apparently there is some friction between them from the neighborhood.”
The exact motive for the shooting remains unclear but police say for now, there appear to be no gang connections.
Both teens, police say are U.S. citizens. Ferrufino-Rodriguez has no prior criminal record.
