Amsterdam News, News Report, Posted: Jul 30, 2012

NEW YORK -- After a 4-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet in a Bronx playground following a dispute between two thugs at the end of a basketball game Sunday evening, the community stands divided about their feelings on stop-and-frisk.

According to MSNBC, authorities say the shots were fired around 9:30 p.m at the playground in the Forest Houses in Morrisania. The child got caught in the crossfire.

The boy, identified as Lloyd Morgan, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Residents described the scene as chaos, as people began running through the park and parents grabbed their children. About 100 people had gathered to watch a basketball game and enjoy a barbeque, the New York Post reported.

Bronx assemblyman Eric Stevenson said community members told him it was done in retaliation for another shooting in the area the night before.

The NYPD expects charges to be filed against a 17-year-old in connection to the shooting, according to CBS.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Tuesday the teen had admitted to firing shots during Sunday’s basketball game. Late Tuesday night, the police questioned several suspects, all of whom are believed to have open fired amid the crowd.

Lawmakers, clergy and residents rallied Monday afternoon to call for an end to the violence that has plagued playgrounds and basketball courts throughout the city in recent weeks.

“If these guys ran in the projects with guns on their waists and the police were allowed to stop-and-frisk them and stop them with these guns, maybe it would have prevented this 4-year-old from being shot in the head,” Stevenson said. “Maybe it would have prevented this from happening in the future.

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