The family of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre, who was shot dead at a Queens park last week, remembered him as “just a regular kid” a day before an emotional vigil on Monday honoring his life.
Rain began to fall hard and fast on April 19 over the spot where Pierre was gunned down mere days earlier. Officers stood guard near the restroom inside Roy Wilkins Park, just off the corner of Merrick and Baisley Boulevards, in St. Albans. Wanted posters depicting surveillance images of the shooter were posted on street lights all around the playground, the paper fluttering on the wet wind.
Pierre was shot in the chest at around 6 p.m. on April 16 after a massive fight turned deadly in a caught-on-camera attack during a planned massive water balloon fight in what has become known as teen takeovers. EMS rushed Pierre to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition; he would ultimately succumb to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The shooter remains at large.
On Sunday, between the restroom and a basketball court, family members tended to a makeshift memorial. They used a cardboard box to cover candles, notes of love, and even a headband from the rainfall. On top of the box, they placed a bouquet of flowers.
“He loved basketball and video games,” said one man at the site, who identified himself to amNewYork as the boy’s uncle, but withheld his name. “He played a lot around the neighborhood.”
According to the family, they were preparing for a vigil set to take place on Monday evening to pray for Pierre, which is expected to be attended by the likes of Attorney General Leticia James, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
“He was just a regular kid,” his uncle added. When asked if his nephew wanted to play professionally when he grew up, he smiled and said, “He was short.”
According to the NYPD, shootings and shooting victims are down 50% in the confines of the 113th Precinct, where Pierre lost his life. Still, that has done little to console the boy’s family. His aunt, Shakira Weston, called the incident “Senseless gun violence.”
“No parent should ever have to endure the pain of losing a child. Jaden was a kind, loving, and bright soul who touched the lives of everyone around him. He brought joy, laughter, and warmth whenever he went, and his presence will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him,” Weston wrote on a GoFundMe account.
As of 4:25 p.m. Sunday, the account raised $15,640 of the $18,000 goal to pay for the child’s funeral.
The killing has left a black cloud over the community, with locals saying they wish they could have intervened.
While many did not want to speak on the incident as rain pounded the sight of the tragedy, two teachers coaching youth in a basketball court not far from the shooting told amNewYork they wish things could have been different.
“I wish I could have saved the young man,” one of the teachers shared.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Shanelle Weston, Pierre’s mother, told the outlet that if she had known he was going to participate in the takeover, she never would have allowed him to go.
“If I had known about the water-balloon fight, I would have said no,” Weston said. “There was nothing for him there but trouble.”
A large crowd is expected to attend the vigil on Monday evening.
In the meantime, anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
