NYPD Apologizes For Wrongly Naming Teen As Suspect In Mass Shooting

NEW YORK CITY — The NYPD has apologized for mistakenly accusing a 15-year-old boy in connection to a mass shooting at a Brooklyn parade last September.

In a statement released on Sunday, the NYPD said an image of Camden Lee, that was posted on social media, mistakenly stated that he was wanted for the fatal shooting at the West Indian American Day Parade.

“The NYPD should have immediately corrected this misstatement,” Delaney Kempner, the NYPD's chief spokesperson, said. “We apologize for the error and will continue to seek justice for the victims of this shooting.”

According to an Associated Press story, Lee met with detectives days after the social media posts were sent out and was told he was not a suspect in the mass shooting. Instead, he was told he was being questioned as a witness.

Despite, police deleting the online social media posts and acknowledging he was not a suspect, they refused to walk back the accusation, according to the report.

Lee told the outlet that he received numerous death threats that at one point pushed his family into hiding.

In its statement, the NYPD said Lee was a “person of interest” in the shooting and was "at the scene before, during, and after the incident.”

The parade shooting last September killed 25-year-old Denzel Chan and wounded four others.