Ditmas Park Man Shot Dead Over Stolen Baseball Cap, Police Say

DITMAS PARK, BROOKLYN — A Ditmas Park man was shot dead in front of his 17-year-old son in Flatbush Tuesday night, police said, killed by one of the people who had robbed his son days earlier.

Gerald Cummings, 38, was shot twice in the head outside of P.S. 6, located at 43 Snyder Ave., shortly after 10 p.m. on Aug. 3, according to the NYPD.

Emergency medical responders took Cummings to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. No arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon, and an investigation into the case was ongoing.

On Thursday, the NYPD said the shooting was linked to a hat stolen from Cummings' son by a 16-year-old in July.

On Tuesday night, the boy was playing basketball behind 2255 Bedford Ave. when he saw the 16-year-old wearing the cap, police said. The son called Cummings, who arrived and took the hat back.

Cummings and his son were followed onto the street by the 16-year-old and at least one individual with him — a person who had also been involved in the initial robbery, police said. The group was demanding the hat back, at which point, a person associated with the 16-year-old pulled out a gun and started shooting, hitting Cummings twice.

The NYPD said Thursday that the 16-year-old is a black male who may stand five-foot-11-inches tall and weigh 155 pounds. No descriptions were available for those with him.

“He did what any father would do and that's stand up for his children,” one of Cummings' friends, Earl Saunders, told the New York Daily News. “All he did was confront the kids that beat up his son — and lost his life in the process of defending his child.”

This shooting took place in the NYPD's 70th Precinct, which covers Ditmas Park and western Flatbush. According to official police statistics, through July 24, major crime in the 70th was collectively down nearly 7 percent compared to the same time period last year.

Shootings were also down significantly. A total of five shootings with five victims were recorded by the NYPD through July 24, compared to 15 shootings with 23 victims in 2015.

Pictured: 43 Snyder Ave. Image via Google Maps