Bronx shooting leaves beloved teenage athlete dead, two youths wounded – and residents demanding justice
FILE – Police at a crime scene
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The search continues Thursday for the suspect who shot and killed a beloved Bronx teenager in a hail of bullets on Wednesday evening.
According to police sources, 16-year-old Christopher Redding was one of three youths wounded in the shooting that happened just after 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 near the corner of Broadway and West 238th Street in Kingsbridge.
Officers from the 50th Precinct received several 911 calls reporting that people had been shot. When they arrived, cops discovered three teens injured from gunfire.
Redding suffered a gunshot wound to the back, while a 15-year-old boy had been struck in the right leg, and a 13-year-old girl was also hit in the right leg.
All three victims were hurried to Saint Barnabas Hospital by EMS, where Redding was pronounced dead. The two additional victims are expected to survive.
While it is not exactly clear what sparked the gunfire, sources familiar with the incident report that a massive brawl between a large group of teenagers broke out on the block just before the shooting occurred.
Those who knew Redding described him as a talented athlete.
“Chris was a football teammate of my son. He was a tremendously talented athlete and loved by all of the other players. It is such a terrible and senseless loss,” Robin Joy wrote in a Facebook post.
Elected officials also took to social media to offer sympathy for the victims and demand that the shooter(s) be brought to justice.
“Heartbroken by the senseless killing of 16-year-old Christopher Redding and the shooting of two other young people in Kingsbridge,” U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres wrote on social media. “The Bronx must be a place where kids feel safe walking home, not a place where violence cuts lives short. I urge anyone with information to come forward to law enforcement so there can be accountability and justice.”
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
