Baby-Faced Bronx Shooting Suspect's Gang Was Also His Family

Carvett Gentles

Though prosecutors say he gave a written and videotaped confession, the 16-year-old Bronx boy accused of shooting two teens on a crowded street Monday afternoon pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday. As his mother wept in the third row of the courtroom, Carvett Gentles and four other young men—all members of the "Gorilla Stone Blood" gang—were arraigned and sent to Rikers Island without bail. Gentles lawyer maintained his client's innocence, insisting, "He does well in school, he comes from a nice family." But some members of this "nice family" happen to be the older gang members who allegedly handed Gentles the gun and told him to shoot—because he was the only one without an arrest record.

Suspect Rohan Francis, 18, is Gentles's uncle, and brothers Cleve Smith, 20, and Clivie Smith, 19, are cousins, according to the Daily News. Gentles's mother Zelita Mighty moved to the Bronx from Jamaica over a decade ago, and at age 6 Carvett joined her a few years after her arrival. But Gentles's father could not get a visa, and Gentles doesn't get along with his step-father, so he's been living with Francis. Some neighbors who know Gentles insist he showed promise by gaining admission to the Bronx Leadership Academy, but he soon began skipping class and hanging with a "tough crowd."

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Times, Clivie Smith had once beaten Gentles's mother in the nose and forehead, bloodying her and sending her to a hospital. During the assault, Smith had a gun in his waistband and told her, "I’ll make one phone call and all this will be smashed up." Michael Arterberry, director of the Youth Voices Center, tells CBS2 it's likely Gentles fell prey to some "perverted mentoring... The older guys are able to manipulate the situation and get these younger people to do things because they feel as if that's being loyal."

Gentles reportedly wept when investigators told him that one of the six bullets he fired had exploded inside the skull of bystander Vada Vasquez, 15, who is still in a medically-induced coma. Prosecutors believe Gentles had fired on the intended victim, Tyrone Creighton, as part of gang retaliation for an assault carried out by Creighton's brother on Rikers Island—where the five young men have now been sent.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on November 20, 2009 12:33 PM

Comments [rss]

tingo

I do think it's sadly ironic that people will raise hell and plead for fight-bred pitbulls to be retrained and rehabilitated.

Yet, when it's a kid who's basically been trained to kill, our society just locks them away for a few years without any rehabilitation measures.

kleinpeter

I hate people.

Guest

He must not have done so well in Physics.

Bernie Madoff-Goetz

40 years of blaming everyone and anything BUT inner city families on the plight of their own children and where has it gotten us? I think it's time for more blacks (anyone else will be ignored) to step up like Cosby and throw down the gauntlet.

Why should these parents feel culpable? They're cradled as victims of society and staunchly defended either by Fat Al and Jesse Shakedown or from blathering theorists dispatched from the Ivory Tower who wouldn't know an actual ghetto from one they read about.

books

I just read this article that made me think of this case - https://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/satchmo-and-the-jews-15265?page=all

macdaddynyc

This kid won't last 1 yr at Rikers. It's too bad. Supposedly he was a good student and showed potential, and in a blink of an eye, both his and Vada's lives changed so drastically. Another kid fall victim to gang thinking, another little girl lies in critical condition through no fault of her home, and Rikers get a new resident all in ONE SHOT.

citizenerased

Have fun at Rikers big man.

hotstepper

PILLOW FIGHT!!!

marcasm

The article mentions he was handed the gun because he has no prior record. More than likely it was because of his age. He was the only minor in the group, and they took the chance that he will not be charged as an adult.

learnedhand

At 16, you are charged as an adult, regardless of the crime. Between the ages of 7 and 16, you're a juvenile, prosecuted in Family Court; once you turn 16, you're in the adult system. If these guys had records, they knew that.

And for what it's worth, don't hate on the lawyers -- they're just doing their job, whether you agree with it or not, the kid has a 6th amendment right to counsel and the attorney has an ethical obligation to zealously represent their client. With adults, you can look at their work history and ties to the community; with kids it's school attendance and family.

tingo

The system and society failed this kid. That's true. And it's terrible. But what about the victims?

Growing up in north Jersey, I was jumped and punched in the face by lots of 'babyfaced kids.'

Kids who join a gang are no longer kids. They're gang members.

theevilone

This kid failed himself. He is 16 years old. This isn't some 10 year old who got pressured by the older kids. Yeah, his cousins & uncle leaned on him, but if he thinks loyalty to those punks is the most important thing to him, let his loyal ass rot in jail.

He is one year older than his victim. Somehow she managed not to shoot anyone during her first 15 years.

nbg8

I agree with you "theevilone". If he was smart enough to get into the leadership academy he should've been smart enough to see that hanging around with morons like those would get him into trouble.

Unfortunately he'll be replaying the moment his live fell into the abyss every single day.

At the same time, "TINGO" I agree with you as well. I had parents and people to look up and to provide guidance through my formative years.

Who did this kid have?

luckmagnet

a 16 year old living with his 18 year old uncle.

brooklynmouthoff

If this "kid" is old enough to be in a gang, and try to carry out a murder...he's old enough to be locked up. These lawyers and press are sad. Just because this kid is remorseful and regularly does his homework, doesn't mean we should feel sorry for him.

AND there's only so much you can blame on upbringing. There a millions of people in the country with a rough childhood that don't aim and fire guns at other people.

Lock him up.

valeriob

sigh...

JenChungsBaby

"Boy the way Glen Miller played, songs that made the hit parade, guys like us we had it made, those were the days. And you know where you were then, girls were girls and men were men, mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again. Didn't need no welfare states, everybody pulled his weight, gee our old Lasalle ran great, those were the daaaaaaaaaaaaaays!"