Bystander shot during Father's Day basketball tournament in the Bronx dies from her injuries

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Bystander shot during Father's Day basketball tournament dies
Jelani Green, an innocent bystander shot during a Father's Day basketball tournament in the Bronx earlier this year, has died from her injuries. Marcus Solis has the story.

MORRIS HEIGHTS, The Bronx (WABC) -- An innocent bystander shot during a Father's Day basketball tournament in the Bronx earlier this year has died from her injuries.

The victim, 25-year-old Jelani Green, was shot in the neck just before 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 19, inside the Half-Nelson Playground on Nelson Avenue in Morris Heights.

"One shot, not multiple, just one," her sister, Chanel Love, said.

Green was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she remained until she was pronounced dead on Tuesday.

"Somewhere down the line, she wound catching an infection in the hospital, which really started the decline of her recovery," Love said.

The community in Morris Heights has hosted a Father's Day basketball tournament for several years, and as this year's Father's Day coincided with Juneteenth, there were balloons celebrating that holiday as well.

Her brother, David Love, was a player in that game.

"Jelani was a vibe," he said. "Jelani was love. Jelanie, that's my heart. That's our heart."

Shots rang out in the large crowd, and Green was struck as everyone ran.

Green, who worked as a hairdresser, is not believed to have been the intended target, and no arrests have been made in the case.

"She didn't deserve this," Chanel Love said. "She was 25, innocent bystander. We don't know who did it. That hurts because we don't get no closure."

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

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