Vernon Kelly aka DJ Backstreet fatally shot at Flatlands Brooklyn
'Daddy, please stay with me!': A father was fatally shot while attempting to break up a confrontation between his daughter and her ex-boyfriend.
A heartbroken Brooklyn woman wept over her dying father after her ex-boyfriend fatally shot him outside the killer's home early Tuesday, police said.
“Someone call 911, please!” exclaimed Vernon Kelly's daughter as she knelt over his body on a Brownsville sidewalk. 'My God! Please, Daddy, stay with me. I adore you!"
The former couple, who share a child, argued earlier in the night at a club before the woman went to her ex's Brownsville home, where the argument continued into the early morning hours in his front yard, police say.
Kelly, 49, learned of the unfolding altercation and raced to the scene from their Flatlands home with his fiancee.
As Kelly defended his daughter, the 31-year-old ex-boyfriend drew a pistol and shot him in the head and chest, according to police and video obtained by the Daily News.
“I heard two shots and it jolted me awake,” a neighbor identified only as Marcus said. “I also overheard a female scream.”
The deranged ex-boyfriend fled the scene in his vehicle, with police still looking for him hours later. On the video, neighbors can be heard shouting for the daughter to enter as she walks toward her mortally wounded father.
Kelly died approximately 20 minutes after medics rushed him to Brookdale University Hospital, less than a half-mile away. As the investigation proceeded, cops retrieved a shell casing from the scene.
Kelly was a beloved super in his Brooklyn building, and his death devastated the residents. One woman sobbed when asked about the killing, and his fiancee's mother said that Kelly and his bride-to-be had a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old.
She recalled, "He was the life of the crowd." “I am a free spirit who is perpetually happy.”
Sasha Theo, 34, a resident, quit her teaching job early and returned home after learning of the cold-blooded murder. She had known Kelly when she moved into the building 16 years ago and had fond memories of him.
“He was actually an angel on earth,” she remembered. “You can call him at any time of day and he will come. I received the call while at work. I've just arrived home from work.”
Kelly earned the moniker DJ Backstreet for his work as a DJ at birthday parties and other building activities. The neighborhood children adored Kelly, who took over as super after his father retired, and the building's tenants agreed.
“My neighbor came running out of her apartment crying, 'Vernon! Vernon!'” another long-term resident recalled. “I said, 'Would you like Vernon?' I will secure him for you.' 'No, he was shot and killed,' she said. I had no idea what I was seeing. I figured it was nonsense. “There isn't a single person here who will speak ill of him. No one.”