A 15-year-old boy was fatally shot by a masked gunman during an after-school brawl in a crowded Brooklyn park on Wednesday, police say.
Unique Smith was approached by two “high school-age” suspects as he sat on a bench with two female friends in McLaughlin Park at about 1.45pm, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told a press conference on Wednesday.
The Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools student exchanged words with the two mask-wearing suspects and a fist-fight ensued. One then pulled out a gun and shot Smith once in the abdomen, Mr Essig said.
He was taken to New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in a critical condition where he died on Wednesday evening, the NYPD said in a statement on Thursday morning.
The two suspects fled on Tilray St towards Adams St and remained at large on Thursday morning, according to the NYPD.
Around 30 people were in the park at the time fled the scene, and police have asked that they come forward with information.
Smith’s grandfather Kenneth Davis told the New York Post that the family were “falling apart”.
He described his grandson as a “terrific young man” who was always helping the family.
He told the Post he was offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Mr Essig said police did not have a motive for the killing, and would be checking with Smith’s school to see if there were any arguments at the school.
“We see the shooting victims, the shooting perpetrators younger and younger, and it’s a concern to us,” Mr Essig said.
The shooting came a day before New York City schools reopened after the summer break. Students at Smith’s charter school had been back in class since August.
