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‘He always had respect for everyone’
Community
mourns for
slain teen
More than a thousand people attended Aamir Griffin’s funeral. Photo by Todd Maisel
BY TODD MAISEL
Aamir Griffin, 14, was
the ninth student that Ron
Naclerio lost to gun violence
in Queens. While some of
them were tough guys on the
street, the 40-year basketball
coach at Cardozo High School
in Bayside said Griffin was
different.
“His exuberance rubbed a
fountain of youth into me,” he
said.
This was a familiar theme
among educators, students
and family members gathered
on Monday at the Greater
Allen AME Cathedral in
St. Albans for Griffin’s funeral.
More than 1,000 people
jammed into the venerable
church to remember the teenager
who was shot to death on
Oct. 26 at a basketball court
in Baisley Park Houses where
he lived.
Griffin’s family said all
he wanted to do after school
was go to the basketball court
across from his home and
scrimmage with his friends.
He wanted to make the junior
varsity team at Cardozo High
School, where he started as a
freshman in September, and
made a bee-line for Coach Naclerio
in June, saying he was
ready to play.
The coach was ready to
take him on, having a soft
spot for the youngster who
was already 6 feet tall and had
previously graduated from
I.S. 8, where Coach Naclerio
first worked doing intervention
with young students.
Naclerio delivered a powerful
eulogy to an emotional
crowd, at times breaking down
as he stared into the eyes of
Griffin’s mother, Shanequa,
and his father, Warnell Wells,
whom Naclerio had coached
at Bayside back in 1999.
“He had that Magic Johnson
smile and he always had
respect for everyone,” Naclerio
said as he stood next to
the coffin.
“He was inconceivably
young and there will be no
more games this season for
Aamir, no varsity, no college
degree and no chance to play
in the NBA which was his
dream,” Naclerio sighed. “I
don’t have words to heal this
broken family, broken by violence.
Reality is very cruel.”
His aunt, Akiba Griffin,
was also passionate in speaking
about Griffin, saying “his
only dream was to someday
wear an NBA jersey.
“Instead, he got a bullet to
the neck,” she sobbed.
Among those attending
the funeral were state Attorney
General Letitia James,
Assemblyman Walter Mosely
and Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz.
“Another young child hit
by random gunfire and it
happens all too often here in
Queens County,” Katz said.
“I’m going to work hard every
day to reduce gun violence
and prosecute gun traffickers,
but also find the infrastructure
to support those
who are working to prevent
young people from picking
up a gun in the first place.
This will take a partnership
— we can do better.”
Among those paying respects
were about a dozen
somber school safety officers,
including Sabrina Jefferson
and Sheila Martin who got to
know Griffin at I.S. 8.
“He was our student at the
I.S. 8 for three years and we
know the whole family, mom
and dad, a typical teenager. He
was a great kid,” Jefferson said.
Hundreds of fellow students
were also in attendance
and took off from school for
the funeral.
“I cherish the memories
of him, and I’m still trying to
cope with this,” said one 14-
year-old fellow student. Another
student said, “we are
just trying to process this.
He would just want us all to
be happy.”
Vol. 7, No. 45 48 total pages
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