A warm spring evening turned into a bloody crime scene on Thursday, April 16, 2026, after a 15-year-old was gunned down in broad daylight.
Jaden Pierre was found bleeding out near the basketball courts of Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens, after an argument with a group of teens escalated into a deadly execution.
The clock had just hit 6:15 p.m. when the Nautilus Playground, packed with children and families enjoying the weather, was shattered by gunfire.
According to NYPD sources, a preliminary investigation suggests Pierre was cornered and beaten by a mob of teenagers before one individual pulled a handgun and shot him point-blank in the chest.
EMS rushed the South Richmond Hill teen to Jamaica Hospital, but he could not be saved.
The shooter, described as wearing all-grey clothing with white sneakers, vanished into the neighborhood before police arrived.
The community is currently at a breaking point.
This senseless killing comes just days after the burial of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was killed by a stray bullet in a separate gang-related shooting on April 1.
Activists like Erica Ford of Life Camp are sounding the alarm, demanding to know who is flooding Queens streets with illegal firearms.
The 113th Precinct and NYPD detectives are currently scouring surveillance footage from the park's perimeter, but as of Saturday morning, no arrests have been made.
Police are pleading with the public to break the "code of silence" and identify the grey-clad gunman before another child is caught in the crosshairs.