Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed by stray bullet
The president paused a pro-police event to embrace Migdalia Martinez, whose 12-year-old son was shot outside a bodega last month.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed by stray bullet
Photograph: MEAWW Entertainment (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Jacob Freytes, 12, was killed by a stray bullet outside a Bronx bodega on 25 July 2026 during an altercation involving adult men.
- President Trump left the stage during a Long Island speech to embrace Freytes’ mother, Migdalia Martinez, describing the killing as a 'horrible thing'.
- The accused shooter, William Ferrer, has a criminal record dating back to 1999 and is charged with second-degree murder.
- Martinez hopes for a bill that would impose life without parole for criminals convicted of recklessly or intentionally killing children.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
68/100
Hype
41/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
President Donald Trump paused a speech at the Nassau County Police Academy on Long Island on 14 August 2026 to console the mother of a 12-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet in the Bronx. Jacob Freytes, known as 'Kai', was shot on 25 July while buying a basketball at a bodega in the Mount Eden neighbourhood. Surveillance footage showed him running into the store after being struck before collapsing. He was pronounced dead at Lincoln Medical Center.
The accused shooter, William Ferrer, was arrested within a day of the shooting. Ferrer, 45, has a criminal record dating back to 1999, including arrests for drug possession, drunk-driving and possession of stolen property, as reported by the New York Post. He faces second-degree murder charges. Two other men were injured in the shooting but survived. Freytes’ mother, Migdalia Martinez, told the New York Post she hopes for a future bill that would impose life without parole for criminals convicted of recklessly or intentionally killing children.
Trump left the stage during his speech to embrace Martinez, describing the killing as a 'horrible, horrible thing' and vowing to 'go after these sick people'. The New York Post reported that Martinez said the encounter made her feel the country is 'heading in the right direction'. Trump later linked the shooting to New York’s bail reform policies, which Martinez had previously criticised as a system that 'works more for the criminal than they’re gonna work for the victim'.
What the coverage left out
No left- or centre-rated outlet ran this story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the accused shooter’s criminal record, Martinez’s call for a life-without-parole bill, or Trump’s criticism of New York’s bail reform policies.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 15 Aug 2026, 02:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed by stray bullet
New York Post — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
7 rated outlets
- All six right-rated reports led on Trump leaving the stage to console Freytes’ mother. The two full reports, from MEAWW Entertainment and the New York Post, described the encounter as an emotional moment that shifted the focus of the speech. Both quoted Trump’s words: 'Horrible, horrible things. We’re going after these sick people.' The New York Post added that Trump called Martinez and her ex-husband, retired NYPD detective Jesus Freytes, 'incredible people'.
- The reports carried the accused shooter’s criminal history. The New York Post listed Ferrer’s previous arrests, including drug possession, drunk-driving and possession of stolen property. MEAWW Entertainment reported that Ferrer was arrested within a day of the shooting. Both full reports quoted Martinez’s hope for a bill that would impose life without parole for criminals convicted of recklessly or intentionally killing children. The New York Post included her quote: 'My son will never be able to enjoy his life. Why should he?'
- The New York Post linked the shooting to New York’s bail reform policies, quoting Trump’s criticism of 'Kathy Hochul’s New York' and Martinez’s earlier statement that the system 'works more for the criminal than they’re gonna work for the victim'. MEAWW Entertainment did not mention bail reform. None of the digests from The Gateway Pundit, nytimespost.com, Fox News or WLTReport mentioned Ferrer’s criminal record or Martinez’s call for a new bill.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
7- President Trump Personally Walks Off Stage to Comfort Grieving Parents of 12-Year-Old Bronx Shooting Victim * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila (opens The Gateway Pundit in a new tab)
The Gateway Pundit — is The Gateway Pundit biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump leaves stage mid-speech to embrace parents of 12-year-old killed by stray bullet in the Bronx - NEW YORK TIMES POST (opens nytimespost.com in a new tab)
nytimespost.com — is nytimespost.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump leaves stage mid-speech to embrace parents of 12-year-old killed by stray bullet in the Bronx (opens Fox News in a new tab)
- Trump visibly moved as he leaves Long Island stage to console kin of slain Bronx boy (opens MEAWW Entertainment in a new tab)
MEAWW Entertainment — is MEAWW Entertainment biased? Our profile of this outlet
- President Trump stops New York speech to comfort parents of 12-year-old killed by stray bullet (opens Just the News in a new tab)
Just the News — is Just the News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump embraces teary-eyed mom of 12-year-old boy shot dead on NYC street (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- President Trump Walks off Stage Mid-Speech to Comfort Parents of Young Boy Killed By Stray Bullet (opens WLTReport in a new tab)
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed…?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 100% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed… left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed… biased?
- Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed by stray bullet is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Trump leaves Long Island speech to console mother of Bronx boy killed…?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who was Jacob Freytes?
- Jacob Freytes, 12, was a Bronx boy killed by a stray bullet on 25 July 2026 while buying a basketball at a bodega. Surveillance footage showed him running into the store after being shot. He was pronounced dead at Lincoln Medical Center. His mother, Migdalia Martinez, hopes for a bill imposing life without parole for criminals who kill children.
- What did Trump say to Freytes’ mother?
- President Trump left the stage during a Long Island speech to embrace Migdalia Martinez, describing the killing of her son as a 'horrible, horrible thing'. He vowed to 'go after these sick people'. Martinez told the New York Post the encounter made her feel the country is 'heading in the right direction'.
- What is William Ferrer charged with?
- William Ferrer, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Jacob Freytes. He has a criminal record dating back to 1999, including arrests for drug possession, drunk-driving and possession of stolen property. He was arrested within a day of the shooting, as reported by the New York Post and MEAWW Entertainment.
- Which outlets covered this story?
- Six right-rated outlets covered the story: MEAWW Entertainment, the New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, nytimespost.com, Fox News and WLTReport. No left- or centre-rated outlet ran it. The New York Post and MEAWW Entertainment published full reports; the others carried digests.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
