17-year-old shot in the head and killed during water gun fight in the Bronx

ByJaysha Patel and Eyewitness News WABC logo
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
17-year-old shot and killed after water gun fight in the Bronx
Anthony Carlo reports from Soundview.

SOUNDVIEW, Bronx (WABC) -- A mother is left heartbroken after a water gun fight at a Bronx park escalated into a real shooting on Tuesday night, ending the life of 17-year-old Darrell Harris.

"He told me he was going to the park because his friends were having a water gun fight," said Kellie Lewis, Harris' mother.

After being repeatedly squirted with water in Starlight Park, Harris turned around and told the suspect to stop.

The suspect then pulled a real gun, shooting him in the head and right arm before fleeing.

Harris was rushed to Jacobi Hospital and pronounced dead.

"He didn't have no problems with nobody. He was a quiet child. He didn't really go outside," the grieving mother said.

Harris would have graduated soon. He was about to enter his senior year at Bronx Leadership Academy.

Ms. Lewis has faced this sorrow before, when she lost her eldest son, Jamal Hunter. Hunter was killed in a shooting in the Bronx in 2021. His killer was arrested and convicted.

"I've been through this already with my oldest son ... I have to make sure my other children are well," Lewis told Eyewitness News. "They lost one sibling, now they just lost another one, so it takes a toll on the whole family, and that's what these kids don't realize when they pick up these weapons."

No arrests have been made, nor has a motive been identified.

The investigation is ongoing.

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