Police Release Video Of 'Persons Of Interest' In Killing Of 16-Year-Old On Lower East Side
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The NYPD wants your help finding four "persons of interest" in the shooting death of 16-year-old Raphael Ward.
Ward was shot and killed Friday night on the Lower East Side in the middle of the Bernard M. Baruch Houses. He was taken to Beth Israel Hospital but did not survive.
Investigators believe Ward was shot after refusing to hand over his trendy winter coat, according to published reports.
State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver released a statement after the shooting, which he called "senseless."
"As a father and a grandfather it pains me greatly to see someone taken from us so young," Silver said. "My neighbors on the Lower East Side have suffered far too much from the scourge of gun violence. That is why we held a gun buy back program recently in an effort to remove dangerous weapons from our streets. We will continue to fight for tougher measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands and to make our neighborhood, particularly our public housing complexes, safer."
The surveillance video shows four young men being sought in connection with the shooting. Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also log on to the Crime Stoppers website, or text your tip to CRIMES (274637) and entering TIP577.
Sound off on this story in our comments section below.
