Ka’mardre Coleman, a high school football and basketball player from Brooklyn, met his untimely end in an accidental shooting. He was accidentally shot in a public housing complex just days before his 17th birthday. A suspect has been charged and arraigned. He was a football teammate of Coleman’s at Sheepshead Bay High School.
On Monday evening, March 23, 2026, 16-year-old Ka’Mardre Coleman was fatally shot in the chest inside a fourth-floor apartment at the Sheepshead Bay Houses, a NYCHA public housing complex in Brooklyn. The standout junior varsity football co-captain and honors student at… https://t.co/d8ySuPk8ZV
— Madison (@Maddy_Harp_001) March 26, 2026
Coleman’s attorney is in agreement with the suspect that the shooting was completely accidental. Authorities have stated that there were four teenagers on the scene, passing around the gun, and loading and unloading it for fun. The suspect tried to save his friend after he was shot, but ran away upon failing to do so.
Defence attorney Kenneth Montgomery, speaking of the suspect, said, “He’s a kid who’s never been in trouble before, who’s gonna have to live with the fact that … one of his close friends and teammates is never coming back.”
Latest Update: Mom mourns Brooklyn high school football star accidentally shot by son of NYPD cop https://t.co/fMW9V56V02
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 25, 2026
The suspect has been charged with manslaughter in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
Coleman’s older sister, Julani Bannister, spoke with the New York Post, remembering her brother. She said, “That’s my heart. That was my baby. He was a bright light. He was my everything. It was us. He was my right hip. I always tried to protect him. I want to tell him, ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’”
Mourners gathered around the teen’s house for a memorial, remembering his “billion-dollar smile” and his kindness. His sister continued, “He was a mentor to kids, to his nephews and nieces. He was a bright light. He had plans. He had dreams. He had goals. He was on the dean’s list. He was on the National Championship team, and he was going to play varsity. My brother was very loved by everyone.”
Coleman’s father, Codwell Coleman, talked about his achievements over the phone with The NY Post. He said that the young athlete worked very hard for his grades. He said, “He was all about life. He was well-mannered, good in school, and a great athlete. He used to struggle in school, and I said he couldn’t play sports until he got his academics to number one. His academics now match his sports. He put in the hard work. He’s been on a journey. I’m proud of him.”
The mourners who gathered near Mr. Coleman’s house released balloons shaped in the number of his football and basketball jerseys, 5. They also held signs that read ‘Forever 16’.
