On the bloody asphalt of a park in Queens Monday evening, Shanelle Weston fell to her knees and cried.
“Oh, my child,” cried Mrs. Weston. “Oh, my child.”
She was crying for her son Jaden Pierre, 15. Last Thursday, Jaden was shot and killed in broad daylight at Roy Wilkins Park in South Jamaica.
His execution was captured on video by at least a dozen young bystanders. They watched, shouting with joy, as a group of other teenagers surrounded Jaden and began beating him, the videos show. And they watched in horror as one of the young men pulled a gun and fired one shot into Jaden’s chest.
Jaden’s family members were among hundreds of mourners who packed the park’s basketball court Monday for Jaden’s vigil. They put burning candles, white roses and letters writing his name on the floor
Jaden’s father, who has not released his name but was identified by another family member as Gardy Pierre, addressed the crowd.
“That was my life – he was everything to me,” she said, her voice rising with emotion. “I love you with everything in my heart, my blood, my soul.”
Jaden’s killer has not been caught. Police released a photo Friday of the man they wanted in connection with the incident, but did not release details about his identity or age. At the vigil, New York Attorney General Letitia James told the crowd that police not only don’t know who shot Jaden, “they don’t even know where he is.” He pleaded with the gunman to surrender.
It was not yet clear what led to the fight or why it escalated, but the killing of a 15-year-old boy in a city park first made headlines around the area and then the entire city.
Former Mayor Eric Adams shared a video on X on Friday that was apparently taken by an attendee. “A 15-year-old was beaten and shot to death on a playground in Southeast Queens yesterday. And somehow this is not the top story,” he wrote, adding, “Where is everyone else, including @NYCMayor Mamdani?”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani was not at the vigil and has not yet spoken about the shooting, but he was speaking about it on Monday evening, when a reporter asked him about it.
“When you see that video, like many New Yorkers, you feel pain because this happened to a young person in our city,” said the mayor. “This is unacceptable. And it’s something that his family – his entire community – must now bear the loss of. And we offer not only our condolences to the family, but frankly the need to commit to ending the scourge of gun violence in this city.”
Two videos of the shooting have gone viral. In the one posted by Mr Adams, at least three teenagers can be seen beating Jaden, who is wearing a book bag on his back and raising his hands. “Fight for yourselves,” shouted someone. “Fight for yourselves!”
Another teenager lands a direct blow to Jaden’s face, and the crowd erupts. Another video, recorded in a different way, captures the next moment. Silver flash: A young man points a gun at Jaden at point blank range.
There is one pop. Jaden falls quickly. The crowd – suddenly all witnesses to the fatal shooting – scatter, scream and run.
At the vigil, the city’s public defender, Jumaane Williams, also cried as he spoke about the shooting and the callousness of those who filmed Jaden’s final moments.
“Why wasn’t his life worth putting down the phone?” asked Mr. Williams, drawing a pained cry of agreement. “His life should have been saved. His life should have been protected.”
Jaden was a student at Eagle Academy, an all-boys public school. Uncle, Eddie Washington, said Jaden has many talents: basketball player, rapper, drummer, actor. “The boy was unbelievable,” she said. Jaden’s English teacher at Eagle, James Johnson, said, “Jaden was a happy, go-lucky, go-getter guy.”
Former City Council president Adrienne Adams also cried during her speech, saying her grandson attends Eagle Academy, and it could have been him.
“We have to make sure that our children, our beautiful children, have a future that we look forward to,” she said.
Jaden’s grandmother, Nellie Washington, 80, said she had watched the video of his shooting.
“That pain went through my heart,” he said. “I felt the pain of my grandson.
Maia Coleman reporting contributed.
