NEW YORK, NY — Police are searching for a gunman who fatally shot 15-year-old Jaden Pierre on a basketball court at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens as bystanders filmed the attack on their cellphones Thursday evening.
The shooting has reignited concerns about youth violence and social media’s role in documenting rather than preventing tragedies. Pierre was struck in the chest during what began as a planned water balloon fight but escalated into a deadly confrontation. The New York Police Department has released photos of a suspect but made no arrests as of Saturday, while community leaders condemned both the killing and the crowd’s response.
Pierre was approached by several teenagers on the basketball court at Roy Wilkins Park around 6:15 p.m. Thursday when a shot was fired, according to the NYPD. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries. Video footage circulating on social media shows Pierre being repeatedly punched and kicked by a group of teens before gunfire erupts and the crowd scatters. “I came over here, I heard a shot go off, so I came running over here to make sure everybody was okay, especially my friends, and I seen a kid lying dead,” one witness told CBS News. “And I know him from coming over here to play basketball. Good basketball player, cool kid.”
Pierre’s mother, 33-year-old Shanelle Weston, told the New York Daily News her son had asked his father for permission to play basketball at the park. In reality, he was attending a water balloon fight organized through social media that drew approximately 300 teenagers to the location. “If I had known about the water-balloon fight, I would have said no,” Weston said. “There was nothing for him there but trouble.” The ninth-grader at Eagle Academy for Young Men in Queens was looking forward to starting his first job through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. “He was so excited and proud,” his mother said. Pierre’s 17-year-old sister Nellie told reporters 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 incident occurred less than 24 hours after another 15-year-old boy was killed in a separate shooting at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County on Wednesday night. Police are investigating both shootings as possibly gang-related, though no connection has been established between the cases. Former Mayor Eric Adams posted video of the shooting on social media Friday, writing “A 15-year-old kid was beaten and shot to death at a Southeast Queens playground yesterday. And somehow this isn’t the top story.” New York Attorney General Letitia James responded on social media, stating “My heart is heavy tonight after we lost a 15-year-old to a senseless act of gun violence. I’m praying for his family, loved ones, and community.” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said “The pain of losing Jaden Pierre to gun violence at 15 years old is indescribable, and I grieve with his family, friends, Eagle Academy classmates and teachers and all who loved him.”
The NYPD released photographs Friday of the suspected shooter, including images pulled from cellphone footage of the incident. Police are currently reviewing additional video evidence showing the alleged gunman fleeing the scene. Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to an arrest. The motive remains unclear, though authorities told ABC7 the shooting may be gang-related. Pastor Cory Brooks, founder of Project H.O.O.D., condemned the crowd’s response in a statement to Fox News Digital. “A 15-year-old child was hunted down, beaten, and shot dead in cold blood,” Brooks wrote. “The crowd did not run for help. They pulled out phones, recorded every brutal second, and cheered as if it were entertainment.”
Pierre’s family described him as a loving teenager who was excited about welcoming a new sister, as his mother is three months pregnant. “My son was not a bad kid. He was the sweetest kid and everybody loved him. And I mean everybody,” Weston said. “My son was amazing. He was loving. He loved his dad. He loved his family. He loved me. I just can’t believe this happened to my baby. My heart is broken forever.” A woman who knew Pierre visited the park Friday morning and described him as energetic and protective of others. “He was very inviting to my son every time my son played basketball with him,” she said. “This could have been prevented. Everyone that stood by and watched – they had a moral obligation to say, ‘y’all stop it ain’t that serious.'” Pierre’s mother criticized the posting of the video showing her son’s death, saying “Nobody reached out to me. I don’t know why anyone would post a video of my son.”
Police continue patrolling Roy Wilkins Park and have put up wanted posters of the alleged gunman throughout the area. The NYPD is asking anyone with information about the shooter to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. The investigation remains active as authorities work to identify and apprehend the suspect responsible for Pierre’s death.
