The NYPD is looking for a shooter after a teenager was killed at a Queens basketball court
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Authorities in New York City are searching for the shooter who killed a 15-year-old in Queens.
Jaden Pierre was approached by several teenagers on the basketball court at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens during the shooting, hitting him in the chest around 6:15 pm Thursday, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
He was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
The shooting, which happened in a public park where teenagers had gathered to play basketball, comes as New York City continues to grapple with youth violence and incidents filmed and shared widely on social media.
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The NYPD is currently searching for the shooter of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre after he was found shot in the chest. (DCPI/Peter Gerber)
One witness told CBS News, “I came here, I heard gunshots, so I ran here to make sure everyone was okay, especially my friends, and I saw a kid lying dead. And I know him from coming here to play basketball. Good basketball player, cool kid.”
Videos circulating on X appear to show the moments leading up to the shooting, with a crowd surrounding Pierre and another person as the teenager is repeatedly beaten before the group quickly disperses.
As of Saturday, no arrests had been made, but the NYPD told Fox News Digital that it had released photos of a man wanted in connection with the incident.
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No arrests have been made in connection with the case, but the NYPD has released photos of a person who may be connected to the shooting. (Peter Gerber)
New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to the killing in the X post, writing, “My heart is broken tonight after the loss of a 15-year-old child to a senseless act of gun violence. I pray for his family, loved ones and the community. I will continue to work hard every day to end gun violence in New York.”
Pastor Cory Brooks, who is the founder of Project HOOD, in a statement sent by Fox News Digital said his heart is “broken” as he criticized the crowd for filming the attack instead of intervening.
“A 15-year-old boy was hunted down, beaten and shot dead in cold blood,” Brooks wrote. “On the playground. Where laughter is appropriate. Not murder.”
The NYPD is asking anyone with information about the shooting of Jaden Pierre to contact them using the Crime Stoppers hotline. (Peter Gerber)
His statement continued: “The mob didn’t ask for help. They took out their phones, recorded every second of the brutality, and cheered as if it were for entertainment. That video doesn’t just record a massacre – it shows a generation with a conscience burned by moral darkness. These were our children devouring our own children.”
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The NYPD is asking anyone with information about the shooter to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) in Spanish.
Tips can be submitted online through the Crime Stoppers website or X at @NYPDTIPS.
