Funeral held for Justin Wallace, 10-year-old shot and killed in Queens
FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (WABC) -- Family and friends gathered Monday to bid a heartbreaking farewell to a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a shooting in Queens that police believe stemmed from a parking dispute.
Funeral services and a celebration of life were held for Justin Wallace at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church before a burial.
"Justin is home," Rev. Dr. Leslie Mullings said to congregants. "You should be clapping, cheering on the boy. He doesn't have to worry with anyone here anymore. No more physical pain, social, emotional, economical, he doesn't have to deal with all of that. He's in heaven."
Wallace was a fifth-grader at Challenge Charter School. At one point during the service, his classmates stood up and recited the school pledge.
Wallace and his 29-year-old uncle were shot as they entered a home in Far Rockaway the night of June 5.
The child was struck in the torso, with the bullet hitting his heart and left lung. His uncle was shot in the shoulder.
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Both were taken to hospitals, where the boy was pronounced dead. His uncle survived.
Police say they believe a dispute over a shared driveway triggered the violence.
"That's what really just makes you shake your head here," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. "People out enjoying themselves, over a minor occurrence like that, inconsequential, really. And then you have somebody connected to one of the houses come back and perpetrate this act."
Jovan Young, 29, was arrested three days after the shooting, on the day which would have been Justin Wallace's 11th birthday.
Young is charged with murder and attempted murder.
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Police announced on June 11 that they also took a 26-year-old man into custody.
Astram Lochan faces weapons possession charges after guns were found in his home.
Investigators say Lochan was involved in the parking issue that led to the shooting.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of Justin Wallace, asking for donations towards funeral expenses as well as having the possibility to set up a foundation or scholarship program on Wallace's behalf.
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