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"Dozens of bystanders" reportedly were recording video while a 15-year-old boy was mercilessly beaten and then fatally shot at a New York City playground last week.
Former Mayor Eric Adams posted video on X showing Thursday's deadly altercation, and the New York Daily News reported that the clip shows "dozens of bystanders ... recording" while the beatdown took place.
'They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him.'
The Daily News added that the video shows at least three individuals repeatedly punching and kicking victim Jaden Pierre as he tries to protect himself amid the attack.
The paper said one of the attackers is seen grabbing Pierre's hoodie and throwing him to the ground. After Pierre gets back up, one of the attackers pulls a gun and pistol-whips Pierre, and gunfire rings out, the Daily News said, adding that Pierre collapses to the ground, and the crowd runs away.
The paper said Pierre suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
The day after the fatal shooting, New York City Police posted images of an individual they said is wanted for the homicide of the 15-year-old victim.
On Tuesday, the NYPD said 18-year-old gang member Zahir Davis is the individual being sought in connection with the shooting at the Nautilus Playground inside Ray Wilkins Park in Queens, according the the Daily News.
However, police sources told the paper the shooter has connections to the Caribbean nation of Jamaica and may have fled there after the deadly altercation.
There are conflicting reports regarding why a crowd gathered at the playground that day. The Daily News said Pierre was attending a water-gun fight he helped organize over social media. WPIX-TV also said it was a water-gun fight. However, WABC-TV said the gathering was for a water-balloon fight.
The Daily News said an unidentified associate of Davis recognized Pierre from a previous brawl, after which Davis and the unidentified associate cornered Pierre against a fence, where they were caught on video beating the teen as dozens of bystanders stood by recording the attack.
Soon the shooting took place, the paper said, adding that police said forensic investigators will determine if the shooting was accidental.
"When you watch the video, he strikes him in the head with a gun, and as he comes down, the shot rings out," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, according to the paper.
Kenny said the man who incited Thursday's attack jumped Pierre in January, and Pierre's friends retaliated by beating that same man, the Daily News reported.
Kenny also noted that Davis is part of the BG4 crew — short for Blitz Gang 4 — which operates in southeast Queens, the paper said.
At a Monday evening vigil for Pierre, New York Attorney General Letitia James said detectives had identified the shooter and urged the suspect to surrender himself, the Daily News said.
"I want everyone to know that the police know who shot Jaden," James said as she stood with the victim's family and hundreds of mourners just steps from the scene of the crime, according to the paper.
The attorney general added, "I would urge this gentleman to turn himself in, to surrender as soon as possible, before the NYPD gets to you. They know who you are," the Daily News reported.
Gardy Pierre, the victim's father, added the following during the vigil, according to the above WCBS-TV video: "I know how tough he was. They knew, man. That was the only way to put him down. 'Cause they know he's gonna stand up tall on 10 toes every time, man."
The victim's older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, had harsh words for those recording video of the attack on her brother, telling the Daily News that "everyone there recording did nothing. They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him."
The paper, citing relatives, said Jaden attended ninth grade at Eagle Academy and was looking forward to starting a new job through the city's Summer Youth Employment Program.
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