A North Valley Stream man will be arraigned Friday on murder charges for allegedly gunning down a Hempstead teenager last week.
Nassau County police arrested 20-year-old Pedro Merchant Thursday in Hempstead around 1:30 p.m., police said. Merchant was charged with second-degree murder.
Dante Quinones, 17, was shot several times outside a home on Dartmouth Street on Wednesday, September 11, police said. He was pronounced dead at 11:01 p.m. at Winthrop University Hospital, police said.
Quinones’ slaying immediately sparked outrage in the Hempstead village where he lived.
Two days after the incident, the teen’s family joined activists to decry violence in the neighborhood as they pleaded for change in the community.
“What I would like to say to the person who did this is you committed physical homicide against Dante but emotional manslaughter against all of us,” Quinones’ uncle, Eddie Gordon, said near a memorial for his nephew. “We hope for your capture. I will ask that no one retaliate because we want mother justice to do what she does best.”
Community activists said they would begin holding monthly crime meetings to educate Hempstead residents.
Merchant’s arraignment will take place at First District Court in Hempstead.
