Two teens shot, 1 dead in Brooklyn, New York

A teenager has been shot dead and another has been seriously injured during a shooting incident in the vicinity of a large housing project in Brooklyn, New York City.

Dantee Bascom, 16, and his 13-year-old cousin Michael Parnell were shot around 7:00 p.m. Friday in a gunfire while sitting on a bench near the Marcy Houses complex, authorities said.

Baston was taken to Kings County Hospital Center but was pronounced dead later. Parnell, who was shot twice in the torso and once in the leg, was hospitalized in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital Center.

According to witnesses, up to six shots were fired. “There was a pop, pop, pop, pop — between four and six shots,” said Bishop Robert Shaw, 46, who runs a local church. “One kid was shot in the chest. He was on his side like he was in his mother’s womb.”

Upon police’s arrival at the scene, the gunmen ran off but fourteen suspects have been taken into custody. The investigation is still underway.

Christian Collado, 27, a resident of the Marcy Houses, said the area was typically quiet, but recently the housing project had grown tense.

“There have been a couple of shots in the past couple of days,” Collado said. “Four days ago, I heard two shots fired at around 2 a.m., then I heard cops come.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 11,000 people are murdered with a firearm each year in the United States, and more than 20,000 others commit suicide using one.