In the early evening of June 3, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York, 16-year-old Laquan Deshawn Nelson, known to his friends and family as 'Popcorn,' was walking home after a basketball game. As he made his way along Classon Avenue, the teenager was struck by a bullet in his lower torso. Despite his injuries, he managed to stagger to the nearby 88th Precinct station house for help.
From there, he was transported to Brooklyn Hospital, but the wound proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
Following Laquan's death, controversy and questions arose within the community regarding the emergency response. Residents of the Lafayette Gardens housing complex, where Laquan lived, called for an investigation into what they perceived as a delayed medical response and inaction by the police officers present at the precinct. Some witnesses claimed that there was a significant delay in medical attention and that officers did not provide immediate assistance. One resident stated they called for an ambulance multiple times. Community leaders and activists joined the residents in demanding a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the emergency services' arrival and the police's handling of the situation.
In response to these concerns, the Fire Department of New York provided a timeline of events, stating that the first call was received at 5:49 p.m. and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene, arriving at 5:55 p.m., within six minutes. They reported that Laquan arrived at the hospital at 6:05 p.m. While published reports suggested Laquan may have had gang affiliations, his family and friends disputed these claims, remembering him as a good kid who enjoyed playing basketball. As of late June 2014, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting, and no suspects had been publicly identified. The case remains a painful memory for the community, highlighting the tragic loss of a young life to gun violence.
