A teen was gunned down in a suspected gang-related shooting Thursday evening at a Queens park he often played basketball in — while the shooter remains on the lam, according to authorities and sources.
Cops discovered the 15-year-old boy lying with a gunshot wound to his torso near Nautilus Playground in Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans just before 6:20 p.m. after responding to a 911 call, according to the NYPD and law enforcement sources.
The teen, who has yet to be identified, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he died, cops said.
The victim appeared to be the intended target of a gang-related shooting, according to sources.
Authorities swarmed the park, which was full of youngsters on the unseasonably warm evening — with witnesses describing hearing the popping sound of gunfire and then seeing the victim lying on the ground.
“I was playing basketball in the park, and you know these badass little kids always wanna come here, fight, and do dumb s—t. Came over here, heard a shot go off, and I came running over here to make sure everyone was OK, especially my friends,” AJ, a frequent parkgoer, told The Post.
“And I see a kid lying dead, and I know him from coming over here to play basketball. He’s a good basketball player. Cool kid.”
“Dumb s—t man. Stay off the streets. Just play basketball,” he added, noting that seeing the dead boy was “traumatizing.”
Tony, who was exiting the park’s recreational center, thought the large police presence was an exercise — before realizing the horror.
“It’s unusual for around here. For this area, it’s unusual. The younger and younger they’re getting guns now,” he said.
“I think it’s crazy, man, these kids can’t come to the playground and play. I think that’s ridiculous. Children should be able to come to the playground and play. There’s nowhere else to play.”
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.