A Bronx man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for his role in the 2021 fatal shooting of 21-year-old college student Saikou Koma, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced.
Jayran Liranzo, 22, of the Grand Concourse, was sentenced on June 25 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Audrey Stone after being convicted of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He will serve all sentences concurrently, including 15 years for the attempted murder charge and three and a half years for the weapons charge, both with five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant senselessly killed a promising young man, who was working hard and trying to better himself by attending community college,” said District Attorney Clark. “This defendant has been held accountable for this horrific crime.”
Liranzo was found guilty by a jury on March 31, 2025, alongside co-defendant Samson Walston, 26, who will be sentenced at a later date. A third accomplice, Steven Mendez, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 19 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision in March 2024.
According to trial testimony, the shooting occurred on the night of Oct. 24, 2021. At approximately 8:50 p.m., Liranzo, Mendez, and Walston walked several blocks through Fordham Heights before spotting Koma and a friend on Ryer Avenue. Without provocation, Liranzo and Mendez opened fire with semi-automatic pistols, firing 10 shots. Koma was struck in the head and died at the scene. Walston grabbed one of the firearms and fled on a bicycle.
Authorities confirmed that the victim had no prior connection to the defendants and that the attack was entirely random.
