NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An 18-year-old man was indicted on murder and weapons charges for the 2019 death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin, Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.
Sean Brown faces a second-degree murder charge and a second-degree charge for criminal possession of a weapon after the deadly incident in October 2019.
Brown was arrested for the fatal shooting of Griffin, gunned down while playing basketball. Brown was taken into custody in California and extradited back to New York City.
The reputed gang member shot and killed Griffin at the Baisley Park Houses basketball courts in an alleged case of mistaken identity.
The DA said while Griffin was playing basketball, Brown believed the victim was a rival gang member and allegedly fired three shots with a .380 caliber firearm — striking him once in the upper chest, piercing both lungs.
Griffin was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died.
Officials said Wednesday surveillance footage taken after the shooting showed Brown running in the area, entering a deli nearby and walking home with another alleged gang member.
Surveillance video also caught him allegedly telling others, "I seen that n---, I hit him. That n---- drop."
Katz said that while any gun violence is "always heartbreaking," Griffin's death hit the Queens community "particularly hard."
"A promising young student and athlete whose life was tragically cut short, Aamir Griffin was the unintended victim," she said in a statement. "His family and friends are still reeling from his killing. After a thorough investigation, the alleged killer now faces justice in our courts."
Though Brown's arrest and indictment could be another step towards providing some justice after a two year manhunt, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea noted that "nothing could erase the pain of Aamir's murder nearly two years ago."
"Our NYPD investigators and our partners in the Queens District Attorney's office never forget or give up and today we have an indictment that offers one measure of justice," he said.
The 18-year-old is being held without bail and is ordered to return to court next Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
