A rising college basketball star cut down by a stray bullet in Harlem on Father’s Day was collateral damage in a wild shootout that involved 13 guns and scores of shots fired, police said.
Darius Lee, 21, was among nine people shot in Harlem early June 20 at a party hosted by local rapper Troy “Rich” Rhymer, authorities said.
College basketball player Darius Lee was fatally hit by a stray bullet during the shooting. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY SportsThe NYPD revealed this week that Lee was felled during a cascade of gunfire that involved 13 guns and 53 shots.
Investigators determined 10 firearms were used based on casings found at the scene of the shootout. Three more guns were recovered at the scene of the shooting, authorities said.
Two women and seven men, including Lee, were shot near the intersection of East 139th Street and Fifth Avenue around 12:40 a.m., according to the NYPD.
Lee and eight other people were shot at the party where 53 bullets were fired. Kevin C. Downs for The New York Post
Lee was not the intended target of the shooting, according to police. Gabriella BassLee was pronounced dead at Lincoln Medical Center, while others were treated at Harlem Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The promising hoopster had dreams of playing for his hometown Knicks, his tearful grandma told The Post.
The former standout at St. Raymond High School for Boys in The Bronx, went on to play for SUNY Sullivan Community College in upstate New York before being recruited by Houston Baptist University in Texas.
