Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Al Sharpton Eulogizes Mother Killed In Brownsville Gunfire
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 30, 2011
Modified Oct 30, 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
John Del Signore
Published Oct 30, 2011
Modified Oct 30, 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
Yesterday over 250 mourners turned out for the funeral for Zurana Horton, the Brownsville woman who was killed in a blaze of gang-related gunfire while picking up her children from school earlier this month. Among those in attendance were NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and the Reverend Al Sharpton, whom the family asked to give the eulogy.
Witnesses say Horton died shielding children with her body, and yesterday Sharpton told the mourners, "This woman is a hero. She died standing up to protect her children. She could have ducked. She could have hid. She could have said it's dangerous. But she saw her children and others in danger, and she did what not enough of you elected and you preachers and you leaders do: she put herself in the way." Sharpton also derided Horton's alleged killer, who indiscriminately opened fire from a rooftop and ran away: “Young men and women claiming buildings as their turf, when they don’t even own the deed," Sharpton said, according to the Post.
Police say 18-year-old Andrew Lopez has confessed to the shooting, and he's been charged with second-degree murder. His half-brother John Carrasquillo, who allegedly told Lopez to go up on the roof and "do what you have to do," was also charged with second-degree murder. And Lopez's brother Kristian was arrested and charged with riminal possession of a weapon (a baseball bat). According to investigators, the three youths are members of a gang that calls itself "8 block," and the shooting had to do with a dispute with a rival gang.
Horton's 12 children are now in the custody of her mother, who has lost three children to gunfire. "I can't make no sense of this. It's all senseless crimes," Anthony James, Horton’s half-brother, said yesterday. And NY1 reports that Roy Coleman, a retired NYPD sergeant who once served in the precinct where the shooting took place, also attended the funeral. "My heart goes out to the family,” Coleman told NY1, “and I really want to see something done about the situation that’s going on in our neighborhoods.”
Tagged
al sharpton
andrew lopez
brownsville
gang violence
zurana horton
zuranna horton
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
The DSA's NYC chapter accused the NYPD of collaborating with ICE and demanded Mayor Mamdani hold Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch responsible.
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 9, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
News
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
NY will opt in Trump’s school choice program, Hochul says
By
Jon Campbell
Residents, lawmakers warned for months of potential for deadly ICE activity in Marble Hill
By
David Brand
Manhattan DA argues judge shouldn't dismiss state charges against Luigi Mangione
By
Samantha Max
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 .