Chilling surveillance video captured the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy on a Bronx sidewalk Wednesday night — and the bloodthirsty gunmen fleeing while still clutching their guns.
The teen victim — identified by police as Prince Shabazz — is seen walking with his 15-year-old brother in Fordham Heights around 9:15 p.m. and crossing the street just moments before shots ring out down the block, footage from a local store shows.
Police said two gunmen were lying in wait behind parked cars outside 2249 Morris Ave., with the video showing the muzzle flash from the 9mm handguns in the distance.
Seconds later, the shooters run past the camera, wearing hoodies and masks.
The two assailants remain on the loose, with police sources saying the shooting was a targeted hit possibly stemming from a drill rap dispute.
“My son was smart, charismatic, loved and all he cared about is looking good,” the teen’s heartbroken mother said, calling him “vain” about his appearance.
Police at the scene where a teenager was reportedly fatally shot on Morris Avenue between E182nd Street and E183rd Street in the Bronx. Christopher Sadowski“He cared about looks, he cared about girls, he cared about clothes and looking good,” she added. “Anybody who met him, he’ll just charm you.”
The grieving mom said she was too distraught to say anything further.
“Everybody is crying right now,” Shabazz’s stepfather, Corey Richards, said, his eyes red from weeping. “Nobody can believe it.”
Witnesses said the shooting rattled the neighborhood.
“I heard at least six to eight shots,” the superintendent at a nearby apartment building said Thursday. “People were running. You hear gunshots, you are in the hood, you better run.”
The gunmen were seen on surveillance footage wearing all black.
“I ran right up to the stretcher,” he said. “He was in the middle of the street on the stretcher. I looked at him and I just shook my head. I looked at his face and his eyes were wide open. That’s how I knew he was gone.”
Shabazz was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital shortly after the shooting. His brother, Supreme Shabazz, was not injured.
The super said Shabazz, who was often in the neighborhood with pals, was friends with his daughter and that he last saw him about a month ago.
“I was very angry,” he said. “I went to the bathroom at 4:30 [a.m.] and got back in bed, and I couldn’t sleep. As soon as my eyes closed, I could see his face.”
Surveillance video captured the gunmen fleeing the scene of the shooting.
“He was a good kid,” he added. “He was quiet, very quiet. He didn’t talk a lot. He always stood there with his hands in his pocket. He was definitely not a bad kid.”
Investigators recovered five shell casings from the scene, police sources said.
“I give the cops credit,” the local super said. “They were right on time. They tried to save his life. I’ve never seen them snatch someone off the floor and put them on the stretcher so quickly.”
A memorial sprouted up at the scene of the shooting on Thursday, with green and white candles with “Prince” written on them.
“RIP Prince,” read one message. “I love you, my heart,” said another.
“It’s just happened,” one friend said. “We didn’t have time to process yet. We just woke up to the news. Some of us haven’t gone to sleep yet because of the news. It could have been any of us.”
