Suspects sought in boy's fatal Bronx shooting

New York City police were searching Monday for whoever opened fire on a basketball court in the Bronx Sunday night, killing a 4-year-old boy who was in a nearby playground with his mother and wounding two others.

The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. near the Forest Houses on East 165th Street, police said.

Courtney Kelly, 26, was shot in the abdomen, and Chris Forte, 21, was struck in the forearm, police said. The men, taken to separate hospitals, did not see who shot them.

The boy, Lloyd Morgan, was struck once in the head, said police, who are not certain if there was a crossfire.

Monday, the boy's mother, Shianne Norman, directed her anger at the shooters.

"Was this necessary? Was this worth it?" she said. "You destroyed my life."

Melody Nelson, 45, who lives in an apartment across the hall from the boy's family, said the boy "was the sweetest 4-year-old."

Police did not recover any guns at scene, only shell casings. They included nine .45-caliber casings and four .380-caliber casings, police said. Investigators also found a 9-mm round that had not been fired.

On another side of the park, police said they also found .25-caliber shell casings and are trying to determine whether these are related to Sunday's deadly shooting.

As of Monday, authorities have no motive and no suspects.

Witnesses said shots rang out shortly after a charity basketball tournament had just ended. The two-day event was played to raise money for the family of Troyisha Harris, 18, who was stabbed to death in the area on July 24, 2010. No one has been arrested in her death.

Police said Harris is believed to be the sister of Kelly. Monday, New York State Assemb. Eric A. Stevenson (D-Bronx) urged residents to cooperate with police and help the authorities arrest the shooters.

"It's not snitching," Stevenson said. "The community should give police information on who the killers are and take them out of the community."

In light of Sunday's deadly shooting, Stevenson said he has changed his view of the NYPD's practice of stop-and-frisk as a way to get illegal guns off the streets. He said he now supports the police department's controversial practice.

With Anthony M. DeStefano

and Maria Alvarez