Boy, 16, Shot Dead In Baruch Houses On Lower East Side

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A 16-year-old boy is dead, after being shot Friday night on the Lower East Side.

Around 9:10 p.m. Friday, police responded to the intersection of Rivington and Columbia streets and found Raphael Ward, 16, at the scene with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The scene of the shooting is located in the middle of the Bernard M. Baruch Houses public housing development.

Ward was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Police have not released details on a motive for the shooting, or information about the shooter.

New York State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-New York) released a statement in response to the shooting.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Raphael Ward. No parent should ever have to face the unspeakable tragedy of losing a child,” Squadron said in the statement. “We must continue to work together as a community to fight the scourge of gun violence and make our homes and our streets safer for our families. From stronger gun laws to improved safety at NYCHA developments, we are reminded far too often that the time to act is now.”

No one was in custody as of Saturday morning, and the investigation continued.

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