By Courtney Dentch
A 21-year-old St. Albans man who loved motorcycles was shot twice in the chest and killed Sunday afternoon just a block from his home, police said.
Christopher Stuart, who lived with his father at 179-57 Anderson Rd., was shot by two men outside a residence at 178-17 Anderson Road about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, police said.
Stuart was rushed to Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica where he died about 2:30 p.m., officials said.
The motive behind the shooting was still not known as of late Tuesday and no arrests had been made, police said.
Few details about the shooting were available. Witnesses told police that Stuart was approached by two men in their 20s, who fired several shots at him The pair then fled the scene, police said.
A man living near where the shooting occurred said he saw a group of young people hanging out on the corner of Merrick Boulevard and Anderson Road just before he heard “a lot of commotion and gun shots.”
Officers recovered a gun at the scene, but could not determine its ownership.
Stuart's neighbors remembered him as a nice young man with an affinity for motorcycles.
“He was a good kid, well-mannered, polite,” said one man, who declined to give his name. “He was always out front with his motorcycles. I was glad to see him and his friends doing that as opposed to something criminal.”
Stuart also was known to help neighbors with chores and to offer answers to questions involving technology.
“I thought he was nice,” said Community Board 12 member Marguerite Barrett, who lives across the street from Stuart. “He was handy with computers. We got along all right.”
“He was helping my neighbor in the back just the other day,” said a woman who lives at 179-33 Anderson Rd. “He was helping her clean out her house.”
The quiet neighborhood of one-family homes was surprised by the news of Stuart's violent death, another neighbor said.
“He always showed respect,” he said. “That's why it's so shocking.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
