Police have identified the 15-year-old who was fatally shot in Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon and now believe the crime may be gang-related.
Unique Smith was inside McLaughlin Park when a school-aged suspect walked up to him and asked for his gang affiliation, according to witness statements given to the NYPD.
A fistfight ensued, and that’s when the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Smith in the stomach.
“I could see that there was a kid on the floor and that there was somebody from the school doing chest compressions on him,” witness Jasmine Bulger said.
Cell phone video showed dozens of people emptying out of the park after the teen was shot.
EMS transported Smith to Methodist Hospital, where he has pronounced dead a short while later.
Smith was a student at Brooklyn Laboratory High School just a couple of blocks away from the park.
The school released a statement saying student safety was their top priority.
“To support our students and teammates as they process this event, Brooklyn Lab will provide on-campus professional counseling beginning tomorrow, in addition to the school social workers who are on our campus every day,” the statement read. “We are also in contact with the local police commander and community partners to request increased police presence at dismissal and conflict resolution support for our community.”
When asked about the shooting at a back-to-school press conference, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the department will do all they can to protect students but that it will take help from the community to keep all children safe.
“Sadly, some of this violence is committed by children,” Sewell said. “So we can talk about what we do in these walls as school safety agents, but it does extend beyond these buildings.”
School Chancellor David Banks also pointed to students needing more support both in the classroom and at home to prevent them from turning to violence in the first place.
Read the full article on the ABC 7NY website at https://abc7ny.com/teen-shot-brooklyn-shooting-mclaughlin-park/12212320/