Amira McCleod, Monroe University student, 'bright spirit,' killed in Hempstead shooting

The 19-year-old woman fatally shot Saturday night during a house party in Hempstead was a tenacious Monroe University basketball player with big plans for the future, officials with the New Rochelle-based school said Monday.

The Nassau County Police Department, also Monday, identified Amira McCleod as the shooting victim. Monroe officials said McCleod, a guard on the women's basketball team, was a sophomore with hopes of one day opening her own clothing and sneaker store.

The team is scheduled to play Suffolk County Community College on Tuesday night in Selden.

McCleod and two Nassau Community College students were shot just before 11 p.m. on Saturday near Willow and Kennedy avenues at an off-campus gathering in Hempstead, the police said.

Police said that McCleod was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The two Nassau students, both 20-year-old men, were wounded, according to the Nassau police.

"The Monroe University community is devastated by the tragic loss of student Amira McCleod, a cherished member of our Express women’s basketball team," spokeswoman Jacqueline Reugger said in a statement.

The wounded men have since been discharged and are expected to make full recoveries, said Jerry Kornbluth, vice president of community and governmental relations at Nassau Community College, in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this senseless act of violence," Kornbluth said.

Nassau police said they responded to the scene after getting an alert from the ShotSpotter, an acoustic sensor that picks up the sound of gunfire.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

McCleod, originally from Queens, was in her second year on the team, Coach Damel Ling told Newsday.

He said the team had just celebrated a Saturday win against Dutchess Community College in which McCleod had four steals.

"She was a great defensive player for us," Ling said. "She was big with the rebounds. She did a little bit of everything."

He said the rest of the team decided that they still wanted to play the game against Suffolk. Game time is 6 p.m. 

"It's tough," he said. "They made the decision that they still want to play in honor of Amira."

He added, "She had a bright spirit. Her smile lit up a room. That's something we're going to miss."

McCleod lived in the dorms on the New Rochelle campus, and "was a beloved member of our Bronx campus community, where she took her classes and played for our basketball team, The Express," Ruegger said.

Newsday's Janon Fisher contributed to this story.