A gunman opened fire at a barbecue party in Queens early Monday, killing the party host and injuring another man, police said.
Dowayne K. Henry, 20, was pronounced dead outside his home in Laurelton at 219th Street and 137th Avenue, police said. He was shot in the head and abdomen.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the back and taken to Jamaica hospital in stable condition, police said. He is cooperating with police in the investigation.
Henry's uncle, Andrew Douglas, said the gunman walked up to the gate at the home and started shooting.
"Senseless killing, for nothing," said Douglas. "Not doing anything and he came up and just shot him like that. Doesn't make no sense."
Douglas said Henry's mother was in shock from grief.
"She's just sitting, looking. Traumatized," he said. "Nothing. She's not saying anything."
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Henry had been living in Florida but recently moved back to Queens to work as a teacher's assistant and salesman at a sports store after his dreams of college basketball was sidelined by a knee injury, according to those who knew him.
Friend Garnet Brooks said Henry was a "community guy, he liked to help out with kids."
"He's a good kid," said Douglas. "He did good in college, he came back out and was working two jobs. He don't really keep a lot of friends. He's always working."
The suspect remains at large, police said.
--Sheldon Dutes contributed to this report
