Teen Fatally Shot in Head at NYC Playground, Suspect in Custody in Apparent Targeted Attack

13-year-old Jamoure Harrell was shot and killed on a playground in Staten Island by two teens wearing masks. The culprit who allegedly pulled the trigger, who is a 17-year-old boy, is currently in police custody.

This past Friday at around 4 PM, the boy was approached by the two gunmen while at the Reverend Doctor Maggie Howard Playground near NYCHA’s Stapleton Houses. After Harrell was shot in the head, EMTs performed CPR on the boy and he was taken to Richmond University Medical Center.

Horrific Shooting of 13-Year-Old

When Harrell was first brought to the hospital, he was listed as being in critical condition. Sadly, the boy later died from his injuries. Harrell’s death is listed as a homicide and officials believe the shooting was a targeted attack, although no motive has been named as of yet.

Harrell was an eighth grader at the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Staten Island and was described as a “bright, energetic kid just full of life” by violence interrupter Malcolm Penn. Penn added, “He’s a kid from this community. I knew him from coming out, playing basketball, being out in the park. He’s very energetic in the schools. For the most part, he’s an energetic, good kid.”

Children in the area are traumatized by the incident, with one elementary school being put into lockdown shortly following the shooting. A second-grader from the nearby school told the New York Post, “I heard gunshots and my friends were panicking. We all sat down quietly. The teacher told us to be quiet. He told us to go under our seats. ‘Don’t move, don’t make no noise. I need to keep you guys safe.’ Everyone, my friends, were panicking. One girl was crying. I was scared.”

Another violence interrupter named Mike Perry said “Seeing that stuff is very traumatic. You see a kid laying there … a bunch of other kids around wondering if their friend is going to survive or not. Just imagine what those kids are going through, the trauma they have to live through.”

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