10-year-old shot dead in Far Rockaway identified; neighbors react
FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (WABC) -- A 10-year-old boy who was shot and killed when a shooter started firing into his home has been identified.
Police say Justin Wallace was killed inside his Far Rockaway home Saturday night after being shot in the torso. His 29-year-old uncle was shot in the shoulder.
The incident happened just after 9:30 p.m. while the boy and his uncle were inside the home on Beach 45 Street.
Detectives say a backyard cookout at the home turned into violence at the front door.
WATCH | Police release video of suspect they are looking for:
Police are looking for the man who drove up to the home and pulled out a gun and started firing. At that exact moment, Wallace was leaving the home, and walked out into a hail of gunfire. He was hit in the torso and collapsed.
Wallace's dad was not injured, but he found his son bleeding. The 10-year-old didn't make it. He was taken to St. John's Episcopal where he was pronounced dead.
Friends say they would often see Wallace walking through the neighborhood. He was the youngest of two, and was the center of his parent's world -- loving, polite and a good kid who would have dropped everything to help others. He was also a fifth grader at Challenge Charter School.
Wallace's uncle was shot in the shoulder and is expected to survive.
Police found shell casings outside the residence.
Sunday night, Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Wallace's grieving family.
Neighbors who saw police respond Saturday night say it is devastating news.
"It's emotional, it's scary," neighbor Anthony Woods said. "It's like you are at home and someone is watching TV or eating dinner, and a bullet just come straight through the window. Are we safe home or we safe outside? Where are we safe at?"
While it's still not clear who the target was, it's possible this may have been the result of a dispute.
Police are now looking for one or more shooters.
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