NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A Brooklyn man was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy at the Bushwick Houses in Brooklyn, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Elijah Harris, 25, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and was convicted of murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon on Oct. 3, 2024, following a jury trial, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
According to court documents, on July 17, 2018, at about 2:40 p.m., Harris was riding a bike on the sidewalk, near 390 Bushwick Avenue, when he took out a handgun. He then fired at least nine times on a playground and into a courtyard of the Bushwick Houses where a crowd of over 15 people were gathered, including children, prosecutors said.
A bullet struck Kyon Jackson, 15, in the chest; another struck a 43-year-old man in the cheek.
Jackson, a ninth grader at Lyons Community School, was rushed to Woodhull Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Harris was arrested and the handgun was recovered, prosecutors said.
“This was a despicable act of gun violence that took the life of an innocent teenage boy and left an entire family and community traumatized,” Gonzalez said. “Senseless shootings like this tear at the fabric of our neighborhoods, leaving lasting pain and fear. Everyone deserves to feel secure in their community, and we will continue to hold accountable those who threaten innocent lives with such brazen and callous violence.”