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Brooklyn Woman Fatally Shot While Protecting Children
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 22, 2011
Modified Oct 23, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 22, 2011
Modified Oct 23, 2011
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Yesterday afternoon, a 34-year-old pregnant woman picking up one of her children from P.S. 298 in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn was killed by gunfire from a rooftop. Zurana Horton apparently tried to shield the little ones near here; NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said, "Moments before, she was seen hovering over several children to protect them." [Update: The medical examiner says that Horton was not pregnant at the time of her death.]
Horton, who had 13 children, was at Pitkin Avenue and Watkins Street when the shooting took place and two other people were injured—a woman was shot in the arm and chest while an 11-year-old girl was grazed in the face. The child, Cheanne McKnight, was yelling, "They shot me in the face! They shot my face!" and her mother says that Horton saved her daughter, “She could have been dead. Thank God it was just her face. She knew what happened, her face hurt. She said it felt like a rock hit her.”
WCBS 2 reports, police are looking at whether the gunfire was from the roof at 1800 Pitkin, "where seven shell casings were found. Five other shell casings were found in front of that building and authorities believe they came from a gunman’s 9mm semiautomatic pistol." Cops say 14 shots were fired and it's thought that the shooter was aiming at some young people on the street.
A witness said that Horton's face was "torn off" by the gunshots. Horton's fiance's brother told the Post, "She’s the best mom they could ask for. She gave them what they want -- she took care of her kids. [The killer] should suffer because the little kids of Zurana have to suffer."
No one has been arrested, but there is a $12,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. The Daily News says, "The shooting took place inside an NYPD Operation Impact Zone, an area saturated with young cops in response to persistent crime problems."
Tagged
brooklyn
brownsville
crime
fatal shooting
killing
nypd
rooftop
tragedy
zurana horton
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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