A "shining star" was lost when a 13-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet while riding home from basketball practice, a suburban New York principal said Tuesday.
Graham Elementary School Principal Natasha Hunter-McGregor told the Journal News that Mount Vernon eighth-grader Shamoya McKenzie, who was shot in the head Saturday afternoon, was an excellent student, athlete and role model.
On Tuesday, grief counselors were on hand as students returned from their holiday break.
The investigation into the shooting continues. McKenzie was a passenger in a car driving in Mount Vernon when she was shot. A 28-year-old Mount Vernon man at the scene also was shot in the arm. No arrests have been made.
Shamoya's mother said Shamoya dreamed of attending the University of Connecticut and playing for the WNBA. She already was playing junior varsity basketball with Mount Vernon High School's Lady Knights.
Basketball is "very, very big" in Mount Vernon, with the potential for college scholarships a big draw, said Dwayne Murray, who coaches at both the high school and a feeder system that develops younger players.
Shamoya was invited to a tryout when she was around 10 or 11. "She cut her teeth playing with the boys," Murray told the AP.
Local
"She was a hard worker," he said, with "a quiet determination. She wouldn't back down."
Her mother told Murray that Shamoya had also "doubled down" on her schoolwork.
"She always talked about wanting to get a major for business," said Murray, who sadly recalled his promise of "going to college for free."
"Basketball is so strong and vibrant in Mount Vernon," said Murray. "There's an anger that's starting to emanate ... a palpable anger."
"As adults ... we've failed" to prevent gun violence, he said. "From a political standpoint, activism, we've failed."
One of the jerseys Shamoya had worn bore an orange, anti-gun-violence patch - "a terrible irony," said Murray, who hopes every sports team in the city will start wearing them.
