FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 10, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Residents remember 10-year-old boy killed in Edgemere
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th ree days aft er the tragic shooting and
death of 10-year-old Justin Wallace in
Edgemere, residents placed fl owers and
balloons on a makeshift memorial outside
of his home on Tuesday, June 8.
What was supposed to be a day of celebration
is instead of a day of sadness and
grief, as Wallace’s family is planning a
funeral on his 11th birthday.
“As a mother, you would go all out for
your child’s birthday and he’s not able to
be here. Why? Because of someone deciding
to do bad,” said Wanda McNeill, whose
niece went to school with Wallace. “How
can a child not reach their 11th birthday?
Right now he would’ve been out with his
friends or having a birthday party. Th ese
posters wouldn’t say rest in peace; it would
instead say happy birthday.”
Wallace was shot in the torso outside
of the home at 342 Beach 45th St. in
Edgemere on June 5. He later died at St.
John’s Episcopal Hospital, amNY reported.
His 29-year-old uncle is recovering from
a bullet wound to his shoulder at Jamaica
Hospital.
Detectives in Queens picked up a suspect
Tuesday night, June 8, in connection with a
deadly shooting.
Jovan Young, 29, of Beach Channel
Drive in Edgemere, faces murder, attempted
murder, assault and criminal possession
of a weapon charges in connection
with the June 5 homicide that led to
Wallace’s death.
According to law enforcement sources,
Young allegedly shot Wallace and his
29-year-old uncle in an ambush attack
that occurred at about 9:33 p.m. on June 5
at a home on Beach 35th Street off Beach
Channel Drive in Edgemere.
According to McNeill, there needs to be
more policing in neighborhoods and the
reinforcement of the “stop-and-frisk” policy
to a certain extent, and not harassment.
Stop and frisk is an NYPD practice of temporarily
detaining, questioning and at times
searching civilians and suspects on the street
for weapons and other contraband. During its
height in 2011, the New York Civil Liberties
Union found 685,000 people were stopped
that year. Black and Latino New Yorkers were
stopped at the highest rates.
“I’m sorry, we need that,” McNeill said.
“It might be a diff erent statement from
some Black people and that’s fi ne, and I
understand that, but it’s necessary. Th e
police doesn’t need to be defunded; let
them do their job.”
Tiff any Lee, who lives in the neighborhood,
took a moment to say a prayer. A
mother of three boys, Lee said she felt it in
her heart to pay her respects to the family.
“I don’t know what it feels like to lose a
child. Every time my 14-year-old goes out,
I pray for him and tell him to come back in
the house when the street lights come on,”
said Lee, a mother of three boys. “When I
grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, a lot
of my friends were killed and it’s so close
to me. We need some kind of protection
over our children … there’s just so much
going on.”
Although he doesn’t live in Far Rockaway,
Minister Isaac Mickens, of Community
Checkpoint Headquarters, traveled from
Brooklyn to speak out against the senseless
gun violence that has been occurring
across the city and nation.
“We as Americans can stop these senseless
crimes if we put something in place
before these crimes happen,” Mickens said.
“Everybody does a lot of talking, but no
one is coming up with solutions. C’mon,
this is America. We can stop these senseless
crimes that are being carried out in
communities.”
Mickens is advocating for bulletproof
community checkpoints in neighborhoods
that he says will prevent crimes and
create jobs.
“People will be in the booth 24 hours
a day. If a community checkpoint was on
the corner block, the perpetrator would
have never gotten out of the area, whether
he was driving or walking. We wouldn’t
be out here looking for him; he would’ve
been caught.”
Queens’ local elected offi cials and Mayor
Bill de Blasio met with Wallace’s family on
Sunday, June 6. According to de Blasio,
more gun control laws are necessary.
“We need help from Washington,
Albany, but it’s also going to take work
from the NYPD and the community,” de
Blasio said.
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards said he feels some “relief” to see
an arrest in Wallace’s shooting.
“Tonight, we are feeling a wide array
of emotions. Today we celebrate Justin
Wallace’s 11th birthday without him. He
should still be here with his family, celebrating
all his accomplishments, the
incredible young man he had become
and the bright future ahead. We will
never forget Justin, and he is forever in
our hearts,” Richards said. “As we continue
to mourn Justin, we must continue
to end gun violence in Queens. We need
to continue to invest in our communities
and ensure our families can live safely.
We owe it to Justin and everyone we
senselessly lost to gun violence. We feel
some relief to see an arrest in this case.
Th is will not bring Justin back, but I hope
this brings some closure to Justin’s family
and friends. Th is is hopefully a step forward
to justice.”
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Wanda McNeill and Kyle Correll leaves fl owers outside the vigil for 10-year-old Justin Wallace, who was shot and killed.
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