Quantcast

Boro cops criticized for slow info release

By Scott Sieber

Hundreds of friends, family, teachers and counselors turned out for the funeral of young Pashad Gray Friday at Mount Horeb Baptist Church in Corona to pay their respects. Gray was buried in Springfield Cemetery.”People said he was a good kid,” said his stepfather Harold Robinson. “They don't know why this happened.”His murder shocked family members, who were expecting to spend a joyful Christmas together, but instead spent the day mourning his death.On Christmas Eve, Gray was across the street from his home at another apartment complex called the Summit on Sanford Avenue, where he was attending a party. Just before 1:30 a.m., police said, Gray walked downstairs on his way outside to catch a breath of fresh air, when two to three youth followed him. Police said Gray was then approached by one of the youths, who shot him several times in the chest.”There was no fight before that or anything,” Robinson said. “He was just standing in front of the building when he got shot.”He was taken to New York Hospital Queens, where he died from gunshot wounds to his lung and spinal cord, according to Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner.Police have made no arrests and were still investigating the incident.Friends and family said reports that Gray, whose nickname was “Pee Gutta,” was shot in a gang fight were untrue.Police would not confirm if the assault involved gang members.Robinson said Gray frequented the Flushing Boys Club and was an avid sports fan who loved basketball.”There was a lot of love for him,” he said, adding Tuesday that the family was still struggling to come to terms with his untimely passing. “It's still difficult. It's going to take time.”In the days that followed the shooting, makeshift memorials dotted the sidewalk in front of Gray's home at 132-35 Sanford Ave. Mourners lit hundreds of candles and scrawled poster board signs proclaiming that Pashad will “Never be forgotten.”Posters were stapled to street lamps up and down the block asking for witnesses to come forward and identify the shooters by calling 1-800-577-TIPS. Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.