Felton Durant 23 dead, Gunfire outside the Red Hook Houses Brooklyn
A man was killed and another was injured in the latest shooting at a troubled Brooklyn housing estate.
On Sunday, a man was killed and another was wounded in a burst of gunfire outside the Red Hook Houses, the fifth homicide at the troubled city housing development since June.
Around 5:30 p.m., an armed trio approached the two victims on Centre Mall and opened fire, police said. Felton Durant, 23, was struck several times and died as a result of his injuries; police said the second victim, 28, was grazed in the arm.
Cops said the three suspects then fled.
A 12-year-old girl and her mother who live in the neighborhood said they were not surprised by the sudden violence.
“I'm not shocked, but it's tragic,” the child said.
“People die every day,” her mother said, “but they should not die like this.”
The shooting occurred during a ten-month period of violence at the Red Hook Houses.
David Gorham, 29, shot Elvin Fernandez, 27, in the head outside the housing development on June 1, 2020. Fernandez succumbed to his injuries more than three weeks later. Gorham was charged with murder and other offenses.
Months later, on Dec. 14, a gunman fatally shot Conrad Waterton, 22, in the face outside a complex house. Waterton, who had been released from state prison two months before, was preparing for the birth of his child and was scheduled to begin a new job with FedEx, according to his relatives.
Then, on Dec. 27, 48-year-old James Bradley was stabbed to death in his Red Hook West Houses apartment while battling an ice pick-wielding acquaintance, police said.
Another fatal shooting occurred in the Red Hook Houses. John Lawton, 28, was shot and killed outside one of the complex's buildings on Columbia St. on Feb. 12. He was carrying two weapons at the time of his death, according to a law enforcement source.
The number of murders at New York City Housing Authority developments has more than doubled so far this year, far outpacing the rest of the city.
As of April 18, 29 of the city's 106 homicides occurred in public housing complexes, compared to 14 of the city's 100 homicides over the same period last year.