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13-Year-Old Bystander Shot In Face During Brooklyn Gunfire
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 15, 2014
Modified Apr 15, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 15, 2014
Modified Apr 15, 2014
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A 13-year-old boy was twice in the head while standing outside a Flatbush Avenue pizzeria with his aunt yesterday afternoon. Gama Droiville is in stable condition at Kings County Hospital; even though a bullet pierced his right eye, he told his mother, "‘Mom, God is with me. I can’t die. Don’t worry."
According to the NYPD, the shooting occurred just before noon, at Flatbush and Beverly Road. The gunman hit Gama and a 24-year-old man, who was the apparent target and was hit in the leg. The Post reports, "He was being interviewed by detectives, who hadn’t yet determined a motive."
The Daily News has details of the chaotic scene: Gama's aunt Laurieuse Droiville shouted, "My boy is dying! My boy is dying!" and the wounded boy was helped into Avenue Pizza II. She recalled, "Next thing I know he was on the floor. He was saying he can’t see." Another person, Assitou Diallo, told the News, "I heard something like five shots. The boy was bleeding. ... The woman was jumping up and down screaming. He was bleeding but he was trying to calm her down."
Doctors are concerned that Gama might lose his eye. He was also struck by a bullet behind his ear.
Police released video of the suspect, describing him as wearing a black and white hooded sweatshirt with the word "ROC" on the front and back and "99" on both arms.
One woman in the neighborhood told the Post, "It’s senseless. I cried, because I have a son, and I have a daughter that’s in the Navy, too."
Tagged
brooklyn
crime
gun violence
shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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