The story of a New York teenager once again entangled with the law has resurfaced, casting a shadow over the effectiveness of juvenile sentencing. This comes in the wake of Zyairr Davis, previously involved in the tragic 2019 murder of Tessa Majors, a Barnard College student, finding himself back in the spotlight for alleged criminal activity.

In 2021, Davis, who was just 13 years old during the incident, admitted his participation in the attempted robbery and subsequent fatal stabbing of Majors. Due to his age and New York’s Raise the Age law, he received a relatively lenient sentence of 18 months in a juvenile facility. The specifics of his release remain murky, but what is clear is that by 2023, Davis was implicated in another violent episode in Harlem.

The recent allegations suggest that Davis, alongside two accomplices, fired weapons into a crowd. This act of violence was reportedly a retaliatory measure in response to the killing of an associate within their gang, as detailed by FOX News Digital.

According to the criminal complaint, “Each aimed and fired multiple gunshots in the direction of the group of people standing on the southeast corner of Lenox Avenue and West 131st Street.” This incident raises significant concerns about the cycle of crime and the adequacy of the juvenile justice system in preventing repeat offenses.

“Each aimed and fired multiple gunshots in the direction of the group of people standing on the southeast corner of Lenox Avenue and West 131st Street,” a criminal complaint read.

Police arrested Davis a few days later and took him to the Horizon Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx.

In September, while locked up at the center, he allegedly got into a fight with other inmates and then attacked a youth counselor with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), according to a criminal complaint.

He was subsequently charged as an adult with assault, harassment, and related charges.

Following the incident, ACS transferred him to Riker’s Island, an adult prison in the Bronx. His lawyer, Neville Mitchell, argued that Davis likely didn’t get the help he needed while in the juvenile facility.

“They always go back to ‘He was a poor kid who had a bad childhood,’” Retired NYPD Assistant Commissioner of Youth Services Kevin O’Connor told The New York Post.

“That’s not the victim’s problem. That’s where government is supposed to step in and do it’s job. You commit a murder you go to jail.”

Tessa Majors Murder

Majors had been walking in Morningside Park in New York, near a staircase entrance, when Davis and two other teens jumped her in an attempted mugging that turned fatal when Majors fought back.

After being stabbed multiple times, Majors crawled, bleeding, up a staircase toward a security desk, but could not be revived once she was taken to a hospital.

Davis was the first of three suspects to be arrested in connection to the murder, but claimed he did not participate in stabbing her.

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Luchiano Lewis and Rashaun Weaver, both teens at the time, were also charged in her death.

Lewis testified in court that they didn’t plan to kill Majors. He also claimed Weaver stabbed Majors, although he didn’t realize what Weaver had done until he saw it on the news the following day.

According to an affidavit, detectives collected DNA underneath Majors’ fingernails, which matched to Weaver.

The affidavit said that the chief medical examiner reported Majors was stabbed multiple times in the torso and “that one of the stab wounds pierced her heart.”

Weaver pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2021. He received a sentence of 14 years to life in prison. He also pleaded guilty to additional unrelated robberies.

Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He was sentenced to nine years to life behind bars.

“They have no idea what it’s like to try and hail an Uber while sitting on a city bench after being stabbed. No idea what it is like to bleed to death on a New York City street in the presence of strangers,” Majors’ parents later wrote in a statement during Weaver’s trial.

Meanwhile, Davis has reportedly pleaded not guilty to 11 charges related to the Harlem gang shooting.

He’s expected back in court on November 12 for the jail fight charges and December 4 for the Harlem shooting charges.

Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo: Tessa Majors/Handout]