Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Girls High School Basketball Standout Shot Dead In Harlem
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2011
Modified Sep 11, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 11, 2011
Modified Sep 11, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An eighteen-year-old girl was shot dead in her Harlem apartment building early this morning in what is being reported as a case of mistaken identity. Tayshana Murphy, a top-rated basketball standout who played for Murray Bergtraum High, was attempting to outrun a gunman in a hallway on the fourth floor of the Grant Houses at around 4:10 a.m. "They caught her on the fourth floor and they had her at gunpoint and they shot her in her head," her friend told the Daily News. "She was pleading for her life. She was saying, 'No, please I don't have nothing to do with it."
Witnesses believe that her assailant mistook her for a boy who fought with a group of men at a nearby public housing complex, given that she was wearing a hooded sweatshirt similar to the boy's. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is still pending.
Murphy's mother reportedly "kissed the body bag" as it was carried away by authorities. "Back up!" she shouted, "It's my baby." Murphy, who sat out last season due to a knee injury and whose nickname on the court was "Chicken," is described by an ESPN scouting guide as "almost impossible to stay in front of," and her crossover dribble "may be one of the best in the girls' game today." Though she had to leave Bishop Louhglin High last year due to an altercation with another girl, her dream was to be drafted in the WNBA. "That's my goal. I want to be great," she told the paper last year.
Tagged
basketball
grant houses
harlem
Murray Bergtraum High School
nypd
shooting
wnba
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 2:04 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .