NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- The man arrested for the shooting death of Newburgh teen Keyshan Gayle pleaded not guilty to murder Thursday morning.
Tyler Castro, 22 of Newburgh, was arrested Wednesday. He also faces several traffic infractions, including aggravated unlicensed operation.
Gayle, 18, was shot and killed on the corner of Fullerton Avenue and Third Street on August 30, according to police.
"I have to say, I'm overwhelmed right now. I don't know how to feel," said Jennifer Bediako, Gayle's mother. "It's the beginning of closure for my family, but I don't know how I feel about it."
As he was led from his arraignment, Castro flashed a middle finger as he was loaded into a van, headed back to Orange County Jail.
"At the end of the day, he made a choice, a bad choice, and now he has to face the consequences," Bediako said, adding she believes her son's shooting was a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"They assume my son never knew who he was. I've never heard of this guy before," she continued. "From what his friends tell me, he didn't know him. He didn't really hang out like that, so if he knew him, it was just in passing."
Gayle's murder has kicked off a push for more working lights and surveillance cameras in the city. Surrounded by family and friends, Bediako says maybe that will be a good start in preventing another senseless tragedy
"I don't feel like anybody wins in a situation like this," she said. "He is a child himself. He is 22 years old; the rest of his life is ruined. His family hurts, my son's life is gone, my family hurts, the community hurts. We all lose here."
Castro will be back in Newburgh City Court on October 18.