A Bronx teen who was arrested after a group of mass shooting suspects crashed into his minivan had criminal charges against him dismissed — after sources say video backed up his account and showed that the gun cops found under his car had, in fact, flown from the hands of one of the alleged shooters.
Josue Lopez-Vasquez, 18, has proclaimed his innocence since the Sept. 1 shooting on Allerton Ave., and on Monday, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark confirmed at a press conference that the charges against him had been dropped.
“After a careful investigation, those charges have been dismissed,” Clark said, speaking at a press conference where she announced indictments against 10 adult and teenage suspects in two fatal mass shootings and a third slaying.
“And in this particular instance, when it first happened, you have a crash, you have a mass shooting, you have officers chasing people, cars doing, you know, first aid to people. We had to sort all of that out,” Clark said. “So in the beginning, yeah, he ended up in a car that had a gun that was connected to the shooting that had just happened.
“We had to take our time. I wasn’t going to rush it, but I also was going to make sure that I didn’t ignore what his family was saying,” she added.
Lopez-Vasquez, 18, was initially arrested at St. Barnabas Hospital, after officers responding to a shooting on Allerton Ave. near White Plains Road in Allerton discovered a magazine containing two .45-caliber hollow-point rounds on the dashboard of his black Dodge Caravan, along with a semi-automatic pistol lying beneath the vehicle, court documents show.
“Josue Lopez-Vasquez has always maintained his innocence, and today’s outcome affirms that he is an innocent young man who was caught in a terrifying situation through no fault of his own,” Legal Aid lawyer Theodora Saal said. “The video evidence clearly demonstrates that Josue had no involvement in the crime and that the weapon and ammunition attributed to him were never his. We are profoundly grateful that justice has prevailed, that Josue’s name has been fully cleared, and that he can now move forward with his promising young life.”
The officers had been chasing the gunmen when the fleeing suspects rammed into Lopez-Vasquez’s SUV at Arnow and Hone Aves. in Allerton Monday. Police said they discovered the illegal rounds in the wake of the pursuit.
Five men had been struck in the Allerton Ave. shooting, including 25-year-old Jamari Henry, who was fatally wounded, cops said. Video shows the gunmen pour out of a black sedan and open fire on an unsuspecting crowd on the sidewalk.
Courtesy of Shantay Connor
Jamari Henry (pictured) died after he and four other men were shot on Allerton Ave. near White Plains Road in the Bronx on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Shantay Connor)
The shooters sped off and, in their flight from police, crashed their Honda into Lopez-Vasquez’s SUV at at Arnow and Hone Aves. Video showed what happened next, sources said – one of the shooters was holding his gun out of a window, and the impact sent it flying under Lopez-Vasquez’s vehicle. Investigators now believe the gun’s magazine somehow flew into Lopez-Vasquez’s window and landed on its dashboard.
“After the whole investigation happened, it was clear that he was not involved,” Clark told reporters.
Clark touted the arrests and indictments at the press conference, pointing out that the guns used in the three shootings had also been linked to 13 separate shootings by ballistic testing.
“The time is now for a concerted and precise effort with the NYPD and our federal partners to stem the flow of weapons into our community,” she said.
In another wrinkle, the brother of one of the surviving victims of the Allerton Ave. shooting was shot dead a day later, on Sept. 2, Clark said. Jontay Davis, 21, was shot dead near Allerton Ave. and Bronx Park East, and the killer and his accomplices dumped his body at St. Barnabas Hospital, she said.
Those indicted include Davean Reyes, 20, and two teenage boys, 17 and 16, all charged with murder, as well as Robert Royal, 25, charged with weapon possession, for their roles in a shootout during an Aug. 23 basketball tournament at Haffen Park that left two dead and three wounded.
One of the dead, 17-year-old Anthonaya Campbell, was an innocent bystander, shot in the head as the Baychester basketball game turned into a horrific war zone with 57 shots fired from 11 guns, prosecutors allege. Jaceil Blanks, 32, also died after he was shot in the torso during the mayhem.
Those indicted in the Allerton Ave. shooting include Heron Martin, 21, Shamir Murray, 19, Kai Oulai, 19, Jose Gomez, 18, and a 16-year-old boy, all charged with murder.
Prosecutors charged Desean Edwards, 22, with the Sept. 2. killing of Davis.
Originally Published: October 6, 2025 at 7:39 PM EDT
