Saturday, October 20, 2007

Teen, 15, dead in Harlem shooting




Teen, 15, dead in Harlem shooting
Another injured; police searching for gunman
Eyewitness News

(New York - WABC, October 20, 2007) - Police are looking for two suspects. Investigators accuse them of opening fire on a pair of teenagers, killing one of them.

Related Links
Images from the Scene
Click: Eyewitness News Video on Demand

It happened Friday night on West 134th Street in Hamilton Heights.

Eyewitness News reporter Sarah Wallace has the story.

The soothing words of her daughter could do nothing to comfort an inconsolable Maria Castillo. At the Family's Hamilton Heights apartment Saturday afternoon, the mother of 15-year-old Jose Batista alternately clutched his photo and his favorite shirt.

A block away, detectives canvassed the apartment buildings along 134th Street, trying to find any eyewitnesses to the double-shooting of Batista and a 16-year-old teenager near the corner of Broadway about 8:45 p.m. Friday night.

Eyewitness News found some ear-witnesses.

"We heard about six or seven shots, like rapid fire, one after another," said a neighbor.

Both teenagers were shot once, both in the abdomen. Batista died on the way to Saint Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police sources say they are investigating a possible gang connection. A friend of Batista's was surprised to hear that.

Batista's uncle says the family, who arrived from the Dominican Republic less than two years ago, is worried about how they will bury Jose.

"No, we don't have money (for the funeral)," said the uncle.

Meantime, Batista's 16-year-old friend, whose name is not being released because of his age, remains in stable condition at Harlem Hospital.

No comments: