Harlem Shooting Aftermath: Victim Mourned As Search Continues

HARLEM, NY — More than a day after a mass shooting on the Harlem waterfront left eight people wounded and a young man dead, more details have emerged — though nobody has been arrested for the senseless crime.

Darius Lee, the 21-year-old victim, lived just steps away from the place where he was killed early Monday, when shots rang out just before 1 a.m. on a footpath below the Madison Avenue Bridge near East 138th Street.

Lee had been a star college basketball player for Houston Baptist University, leading the Division I team in scoring and rebounding. Recently named the university's male athlete of the year, the 6-foot-6 guard and forward was on track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in December, according to a statement from the school.

"We are devastated. Darius was a remarkable young man who loved the Lord, his mom, his family, his teammates, his friends and his entire HBU family," coach James Sears Bryant said in a statement. "My heart breaks for his mom, his sister and his entire family, and for our basketball team."

The weekend barbecue on the Harlem waterfront had been organized by local rapper Rich Rhymer, who was filming a video there when gunshots broke out between rival groups, according to the Daily News.

Caught in the melee, Lee was shot in the chest and rushed to Lincoln Hospital, but could not be saved.

An alumnus of St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx, Lee had received a full scholarship to attend HBU and had only come home to Harlem a few weeks prior for summer break, the Daily News reported.

Chris Williams, who coached Lee at St. Raymond, called his former player "a Harlem angel" in an interview with the Daily News.

"I want my 5-year-old to be like Darius," he said.

Lee's grieving father told the New York Post that his son was a "victim of the streets," who had dreamed of being on TV one day.

"He got his wish but in the wrong way," dad Eric Lee told the Post.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that no arrests had been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. Those wounded included six men and two women.

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents Harlem, condemned Lee's death in a statement late Monday — and called on the Senate to pass the gun control bills that were recently approved by the House of Representatives.

"Gun violence is a national public health crisis, and I urge my Senate colleagues to move swiftly in enacting legislation that will help prevent future mass shootings."

Espaillat added that he had spoken with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and NYPD Manhattan North deputy chief Olufunmilola Obe, who promised that an investigation is ongoing.

Crime has risen so far this year in the police precinct covering this area of East Harlem, according to NYPD statistics, with offenses like robberies, felony assaults and shootings all showing an increase compared to last year.

Among the eight injured by gunfire was 24-year-old Francisco Batista, who told the Daily News that he heard bullets whizzing past his face — including one that struck his finger, breaking it badly.

"I just kept turning all different kind of ways to hopefully avoid the shots," Batista told the newspaper.

Police officials have pleaded with the public to come forward with any information.

Related coverage: Harlem Mass Shooting: College Basketball Player Killed, 9 Injured