A tragic shooting in Queens has left a community reeling as a 16-year-old boy faces manslaughter charges in the death of 17-year-old Deaza Barkley. According to a statement obtained by NY Daily News, the suspect, whose identity is being withheld due to his age, was arrested after police arrived at the scene in Holliswood on Saturday around 5:15 p.m. to find the victim with a gunshot wound to her head. Despite efforts to save her life, Barkley was pronounced dead after being transported to Jamaica Hospital.
The investigation is ongoing, with questions still surfacing about how the teen came to be in possession of the firearm used in the shooting. The NYPD has since charged the boy with manslaughter and gun possession, though it's not immediately clear to whom the gun belongs. The house where the incident occurred is owned by a relative of the boy, but it has been described by neighbors as akin to a transient facility, with a high turnover of occupants who have been observed engaging in questionable activities. As this community struggles to to make sense of what happened, one neighbor, speaking anonymously, told NY Daily News, "If anything was gonna happen on this block, it was gonna happen there."
Barkley, remembered by friends for her love of dancing and cheerleading, is mourned by a family now left to navigate an unfathomable loss. A friend of Barkley's mother, grieving and in disbelief, told NY Daily News, "I'm so lost for words... I'm just trying to find out what happened." This sentiment captures the heartache of a community in the wake of a senseless tragedy.
Additional details from the NYPD, provided by PIX11, indicate that the 16-year-old was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and firearm, in addition to manslaughter. It remains unclear if the suspect and the boy who was initially questioned by police are indeed the same individual. As this sorrowful story continues to unfold, many are left to contemplate the circumstances that can lead to such heart-wrenching outcomes and the pressing need for measures to prevent future tragedies of this nature.
