Police are questioning if the fatal shooting of teen Jordany Aracena was motivated by the lyrical content of music he recently released. The Bronx resident was an aspiring drill rapper. He was killed on Sept. 25.
In New York, the genre has become a hot topic of debate. Last February, Mayor Eric Adams called for a ban on drill music while citing it as a contributing factor to the uptick in gun and gang-related violence across the state.
“He was very new to drill and said the wrong thing in a song. That may have made him a target. In my district, we’ve seen that pattern over and over,” said City Councilman Oswald Feliz.
On Sept. 30 detectives told The New York Daily News that the 17-year-old name-dropped other drill rappers and slain gang members in his music. Last Sunday, the novice emcee was gunned down around 6:15 p.m. by five individuals wearing ski masks at Beekman Ave. near E. 141st St.
He was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest. Jordany, who is the youngest of four children, was transported to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The teen’s father, Jordan Aracena, said the loss is too much to bear. “My wife died, and now our Jordany — he wasn’t the same after that. He was a good son, I loved him with all my heart. Now that my son is dead, I can’t be happy anymore,” said the grief-stricken father.
Police have yet to capture a suspect or confirm a motive for the shooting being tethered to Jordany’s music. His family, however, does not believe drill music was a factor in the tragedy. “Yes, he was a rapper, but he was happy and had a lot of friends. It wasn’t his music, it was a robbery,” said Odales Lenus, Aracena’s cousin.
Below is a news report marking the fatal weekend that resulted in not only the teen’s death, but several others across the city.