Police believe 17-year-old Shayma Roman was not intended target of deadly Crown Heights shooting
NEW YORK -- The search for suspects accused of firing shots that killed 17-year-old Shayma Roman in Brooklyn continued Thursday.
The shooting happened Wednesday evening outside a building at 1225 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights.
Police said a group was standing near the building when two men walked up and fired a round of shots.
Roman's brother was beside himself Thursday, realizing he saw his youngest sister for the last time outside their grandmother's apartment building, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported.
"I seen them sitting right in front of the house, 20, 30 minutes before, and the I get home, watching the TV and I get a call that she was shot," he said.
Roman's brother said she went outside to talk to their 19-year-old sister.
"My older sister, Thyma, was sitting outside. Shayma went outside to go talk to Thyma ... and, that's when it happened. She saw it happen," he said.
Roman's stepfather didn't know who would shoot her or why.
"Ask God for strength. That's all we can do right now," he said.
Roman, who police believe was an innocent bystander, was the only person shot and killed. She was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital, police said.
Police believe the shooting was gang-related and another person in the group was being targeted. Roman has no criminal record, according to police.
Her aunt said she went straight to her grandmother's after school.
"She was always with her grandmother," she said through tears.
Roman's brother said she was a star basketball player, loved her cats and dogs, and most of all loved her sister. The two were were like twins, he said.
"They were always together, 24/7. People always called them twins growing up because they wore the same clothes. I don't know how my sister's going to take this," he said.
Friends laid flowers and lit candles at the scene.
The NYPD is offering a $3,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
