Statistically, Darius Lee had one of his most impressive seasons last year, while playing college basketball for the Houston Baptist Huskies. The 6-6 wingman averaged 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds last year, for one of the lesser-known teams in NCAA Division I, which more than doubled his output from the previous season. Needless to say, his future as a rising star in college basketball and a potential NBA prospect looked bright, but upon Lee's return to his native city of Harlem, New York, for Summer break, he was fatally shot, while partaking in the filming of a rap video by local emcee named Rich Rhymer.
The tragic incident happed about 40 minutes past midnight on Monday at a park near 139th Street and Fifth Avenue in Harlem. What caused the shootings remain unclear at the moment, but the assailants may have been tipped off by a video that Rich Rhymer posted on Instagram about the cops shutting down his video shoot at a specific address, before indicating that the activities would resume somewhere nearby. Shortly thereafter a plethora of gunmen showed up at the father's day BBQ/music video shoot and left behind devastation that resulted in nine people being shot, including a 21-year-old basketball player known by locals as "Harlem's Angel," Darius Lee. According to reports, when law enforcement arrived on the scene, they discovered five victims of the shooting on a path located at Harlem River Drive under the Madison Avenue Bridge. It was later revealed that four additional victims, who also suffered gun wounds, had already gone to a nearby hospital to receive medical attention. Of the nine victims shot, Lee was the only one that was killed, although he does not appear to have been the target of the attack. Nevertheless, his untimely death is already being felt throughout his community far and wide.
“He only cared about basketball,” said Lee’s sister Tiara. “He decided to stay outside one day and this happened . . . These are innocent kids that’s in school, playing basketball...My brother’s gone...Great kid. He’s gone, for no reason...Just pray for our family...This has been going on for how long? It’s not gonna stop.”
Darius Lee's sister, Tiara, brought up a very alarming point during her heartfelt message about her late brother. Because not only are Harlem's crime rates higher than the national average but gun violence is once again on the rise, despite the recent efforts of Mayor Eric Adams to deploy an anti-gun police unit all throughout the city of New York (which includes the Harlem neighborhood).
The Director of Athletics at Houston Baptist, Steve Moniaci, also chimed in with a heavy heart about the passing of the young man who recently was recently named the school's 'Male Athlete of the Year.'
“He was a very fine young man who had a very bright future in front of him,” Moniaci said. “This is unfortunately, yet again, another example of the senseless gun violence that seems to be plaguing our country right now and we all pray it will cease.”
As of now, no arrests have been made in the aforementioned shooting, but local law enforcement officers are still gathering more evidence. For more on this tragic story, click the link below.
Source: MSN
