The heartbroken parents of Sanjay Samuel joined southeast Queens community and elected leaders and clergy on Sunday at a prayer vigil in the same Cambria Heights parking lot where their 13-year-old son was fatally shot, allegedly by a 16-year-old boy, during an altercation while he walked to school six days earlier.
While they were too overcome with grief to speak to the crowd, Sanjay’s uncle, Elvin Griffith, spoke on behalf of the family who, a day earlier, had donated his organs that saved four lives.
Griffith refuted police and media speculation that the youngster’s murder was in any way gang-related.
‘My nephew spent the last few months at my residence in Connecticut. During that period of time, he showed no interest in coming back to New York,” Griffith said during the Sept. 28 vigil. “This is a 13-year-old who was not even in the community. I want to say the notion that this was gang-related is bulls**t, do you understand me?”
What the grieving uncle wanted the community to remember was the lives that were saved by his nephew, who is now an organ donor hero. The recipient of his heart was a 13-year-old, like Sanjay. His liver recipient is 15 years old. Both of his lungs, his pancreas, and one kidney were donated to adults in their 50s.
“He saved four lives,” Griffith said. “So there is something good that came out of this.”
A day before the vigil, a 16-year-old from South Jamaica, who attends Campus Magnet High School a block north of the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, was charged with the murder of the youngster from Springfield Gardens. EMS rushed Samuel to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where he never regained consciousness and succumbed to his injuries two days later. The shooter surrendered at the 105th Precinct on Friday and now faces 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.
“Two people lost their lives. You’ve got a young man who was taken from us, Sanjay, you got the suspect, because he’s innocent until proven guilty, but his life will never be the same,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “My friends, we have work to do. It’s not good enough to just stand out here on an afternoon like this. We’ve got to mentor these young men.”
Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson called Sanjay a child of the community who had his entire life ahead of him.
“This is an example of not just fratricide, but this is an example of a lack of hope, a community that cuts down its most precious treasure, which is its young people,” Anderson said. “And so as we come together today, let’s remember the power of love and togetherness.”
Lance Feurtado, the founder and executive director of the King of Kings Foundation, called on the community to support Sanjay’s family and stand against gun violence.
“To the family, my hospital responders have been with them day and night since this thing happened, you know the community is here and supported them,” Feurtado said. “And when we speak biblically, they say a seed must fall so a tree can grow. Unfortunately, the seed was Sanjay, but the community is the tree that’s growing.”
The Long Island City non-profit LiveOnNY coordinated the life-saving organ transplants and praised the victim and his family.
“Sanjay became an organ donor hero yesterday after his grieving family generously said yes to giving the gift of life to patients waiting for a second chance at life,” LiveOnNY president and CEO Leonard Achan said Sunday. “Sanjay saved the lives of four people with six of his organs donated to those on the transplant waitlist in New York, Ohio, and the District of Columbia. LiveOnNY is humbled and honored to be the stewards of these precious gifts of life. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this very difficult time.”
Additional reporting by Ramy Mahmoud.
