Brooklyn Shooting: Two Dead, Four Injured
Two men have died following a shooting at a funeral in the New York Borough of Brooklyn at approximately 8:30 p.m. on April 27.
The shooting took place outside the Emanuel Church of God, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn and claimed the lives of Shareiff Clayton, 40, and Ronald Murphy, 44, who were both proclaimed dead at Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn.
Three other injuries were incurred from the shooting. A 40-year-old man was shot in the hand and two women, 38 and 29, were shot in the leg.
In a possibly related incident, WABC-News reported that a potential suspect, approximately 40, was found in a Brooklyn park about 10 blocks away from the site of the shooting. The man was found critically wounded from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Fox NY reports that the shooting began as a mere altercation at the wake of the funeral, which quickly escalated to violence. The dispute spilled onto the street and this is when the shooting began.
Up to 25 shots were fired during the shooting, from both inside and outside of the church, though the official police report states 15 shots were fired.
The funeral in question was in memory of a father-of-two, Brooklyn resident named John “Cheo” Robles. A former gang member who had served time in prison for murder, sources told the New York Times that he had turned his life around and was just 60 credits away from a degree in neuroscience. He died of natural causes on April 16.
The nature of the shooting is very unclear, with The New York Times releasing this quote from one of Robles’ cousins:
“It was nothing gang related. That’s why this is very surprising”
To compound this claim, the first official police statement implied that the shooting “did not appear to be gang related”.
A silver SUV was seen arriving at the scene of the shooting minutes after the altercation exited the church. It is believed that up to two gunmen exited the SUV and assisted in the shooting. No weaponry was found in the SUV, but it will provide assistance in tracking the drivers and potential gunmen. Police also confirmed that several cars were seen swiftly exiting the scene, though the motive for the shooting remains unclear and the investigation is still in its early stages.
Stop the shooting in Flatbush Brooklyn w @JumaaneWilliams @BPEricAdams. @Azi @errollouis @harrysiegel pic.twitter.com/hjkEx3bD9C
— Alex S. Vitale (@avitale) Abril 28, 2015
N.Y.C. Council member Jumaane Williams spoke to WABC News in an attempt to publicly denounce the shootings.
“If we can prevent retaliatory shootings from this particular shooting we will have something positive to talk about and my hope is that the law enforcement will be able to do their job and hold the shooters accountable.”
He went on to state that the shooting was a “reckless abandon of life”.
There have been no arrests made as yet, but the investigation is ongoing.
Reports of the Brooklyn shooting come at a time when violent incidents in the North East of the U.S. have been prevalent in world news, as the riots in Baltimore have reportedly become violent.
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
