Teen charged in shooting death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin
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Sean Brown, 18, was arrested and charged in the 2019 shooting death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin. Eagle file photo by David Brand
By Jacob Kaye
An 18-year-old was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court Wednesday and charged in the shooting death of 14-year-old Aamir Griffin in the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica nearly two years ago.
Sean Brown was arraigned on murder and weapon charges for the Oct. 26, 2019 fatal shooting of Griffin, who was playing on a basketball court in the public housing complex when he was hit by the gunfire, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Brown, an alleged gang member, had mistakenly thought Griffin was a rival, the DA said.
“At the bare minimum, when our kids go to the park, families should know they are coming home,” Katz said.
Brown was arrested in Los Angeles by NYPD detectives earlier this week and taken back to Queens by investigators from the DA’s office, Katz said.
The NYPD’s investigation into the murder turned up video footage of the suspect running from the area where the shots were fired and into a nearby deli, according to the NYPD. Other surveillance footage shows Brown allegedly telling others that he had “hit him,” and that he had seen him “drop.”
Griffin’s death sparked outrage in the South Jamaica community. Community leaders called for more community investment in the neighborhood following the young teen’s death.
“Police have a role to play, but if police could solve this problem, it would have been solved a long time ago,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said in 2019. “An overreliance on police is not helping. We need them to do their jobs and we need to invest in communities so they can do their jobs.”
The basketball court where Griffin was killed recently got a make-over dedicated to the teen, CBS New York recently reported.
“The death of Aamir Griffin hit our community particularly hard,” Katz said Wednesday. “A promising young student and athlete whose life was tragically cut short, Aamir Griffin was the unintended victim. His family and friends are still reeling from his killing.”
NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison, who himself is from Queens, noted that Griffin’s death affected him personally.
“All homicides are very important to the NYPD but this one hit close to home to me,” Harrison said. “I played basketball on this same basketball court, me and Aamir went to the same high school... Ladies and gentleman, I am Aamir Griffin.”
Brown, who lives in Jamaica, was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder.
In a separate incident, Brown had been arrested on criminal possession of a weapon and drug charges on July 21. At the time of his arrest in California, he was out on a $30,000 bail, according to the DA.
Brown, who was remanded and ordered to return to court on Sept. 14, faces up to 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.
