The man accused of fatally shooting a teenager in the Bronx last summer was arrested Wednesday as the boy’s mother continues to grieve for her son.
According to police sources, 37-year-old Kenhy Sarrias-Buelvas of Washington Heights was charged on Feb. 26 for shooting 16-year-old Kemari Sanders at the corner of Bryant Avenue and Jennings Street on Aug. 23, 2024. Sanders suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, paralyzing him.
Sanders was rushed to Saint Barnabas Hospital where he survived for six weeks before ultimately succumbing to his wounds.
The boy’s mother, Selena Cox, told amNewYork Metro that her son was riding his moped and dropped his cell phone; when his friend bent down to pick it up, Sanders was shot in the neck.
After the shooting, Sarrias-Buelvas allegedly fled into a nearby laundromat — where detectives were able to obtain surveillance footage of him.
”He said, ‘Mom, can I go over to my friend’s house and spend the night?’ I said, Okay, I gave him a couple of dollars. And then next thing I know, my son had been shot in the neck by a motherf**ker. I wish I never said he could go,” Cox said, weeping. “This man has f**ked up my life up.”
A grieving Cox, determined to get justice for her son, spent time placing wanted posters around the community in hopes somebody would recognize him. In the months since the horrific loss, she says she has had trouble sleeping.
“You would think it would get better; it gets worse each day he’s not here — I miss my son,“ Cox said. ”He has a twin sister. Her name is Kimora, and her birthday party is Saturday. It’s her first one without her brother.She can’t even cope with it.”
Sanders’ stepfather, Tony Radcliffe Bennett, described him as a respectful boy who treated him and his mother well. He said the emotional toll on Cox has been immense.
“Every day she wakes up crying, every day. I can’t tell her to stop crying. It’s just crazy,” Bennett said.
Despite the pain and suffering, Cox says she is thankful an arrest has finally been made.
Sarrias-Buelvas was taken out of the 42nd Precinct in cuffs late Wednesday night to face justice. He did not comment on his alleged crime. He is charged with murder, manslaughter, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
