Police are investigating a shooting outside the Marcy Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant last night. A 16-year-old boy, Dantee Bastone, was killed, while a 13-year-old boy was injured. The Daily News reports that the boys were cousins and had just been sitting on a bench.
According to the NYPD, cops responded to a report of an assault at 626 Park Avenue just after 7 p.m. When they arrived, officers found the 13-year-old with two gunshot wounds to the torso and one to the leg, and Dantee with "a gunshot wound to the groin." Dantee was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. The younger teen was taken to Bellevue and is expected to survive.
Bishop Robert Shaw told the News, "There was a pop, pop, pop, pop — between four and six shots. One kid was shot in the chest. He was on his side like he was in his mother’s womb."
A resident, Christian Collado, spoke to the NY Times, saying he heard the shots from his apartment: "He said the area was normally quiet and that it was rare to see teenagers hanging out in the courtyard, but in recent days the housing project had grown tense. 'There have been a couple of shots in the past couple of days,' he said. 'Four days ago, I heard two shots fired at around 2 a.m., then I heard cops come.'"
Dantee's father said that his son "went over there to visit some girls," adding, "He was a good kid, man! A good boy!"
A number of people were taken into custody, but no one has been charged. The News says: "Cops were hampered in their search by [the cousin], who so far has refused to cooperate with detectives, police sources said.The gunplay may be revenge for another shooting in Bed-Stuy on Sunday where two people were injured, the source added."
