Mass Shooting In Harlem Leaves Star College Basketball Player Dead, 8 Other Wounded

An early-morning shooting Monday at a gathering in Harlem left a star college basketball player dead and eight other people wounded, New York City police said.

Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. to reports of a shooting on a footpath along the FDR Drive and found five people shot, police said, citing preliminary information. They were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The victim has been identified as 21-yeara-old Darius Lee, CBS New York reports. Lee was a Harlem native and was supposed to graduate from Houston Baptist University in December with his bachelor's degree. According to school officials, Lee was a star basketball player who was named HBU Robbie Robertson Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

"We are devastated. Darius was a remarkable young man who loved the Lord, his mom, his family, his teammates, his friends and his entire HBU family," the HBU Head Men's Basketball Coach Ron Cottrell said in a statement Monday. "We are in shock and cannot wrap our heads around this news. My heart breaks for his mom, his sister and his entire family, and for our basketball team."

Four other people who were shot also arrived at hospitals for treatment, police said, and the wounded included six other men and two women.

The investigation was ongoing Monday and police didn't immediately have details about the gathering or what may have led to the shooting. According to CBS New York, a police source said the shooting started over a dispute around a music video that was being filmed at the location. 

Information about possible suspects wasn't immediately released, but police said on Twitter that a gun was recovered from the scene. 

"This Father's Day weekend is a weekend where people were supposed to be able to enjoy themselves with their families," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.

Tips are being sought from the public as part of the investigation.

"The emboldened individuals responsible for this are exactly who our officers are battling every day to make our city safe," Sewell said.

Crime in the city is up nearly 40% from last year, according to the New York City Police Department. 

First published on June 20, 2022 / 9:32 AM

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