Wyandanch community stunned by fatal shooting of former football star Alonte Shipp

The grieving family of a former Wyandanch football star gunned down outside his Lake Drive home remembered him as a shining star with a big smile.

Alonte Shipp, 20, wanted to graduate from college and pursue a career in the NFL, his mother and other relatives said outside the family home Tuesday.

"My kid was amazing. I knew he was amazing," said Shipp’s mother, Lakeicha Sexton. "Baby, in a time of grief, your star is still shining."

Suffolk police said Shipp was killed during an altercation with another person at 4:38 a.m. Monday. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police declined to provide any further details about the altercation on Tuesday, or whether detectives have identified a suspect. The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.

Family members say Shipp was shot to death while sitting in a car with a young woman outside the family home.

Sexton said she wants those responsible for her son’s death to face justice — but she is praying for them, too.

"You did not have to take my son’s life, he did not deserve that," Sexton said when asked what she would say to the shooter. "I am going to pray for you and your family and I hope that justice will be served, however it comes.

"I do forgive you, though, because that is what God wants," Sexton added. "I forgive you, just know that I forgive you. It hurts, and as much as it hurts, I forgive you."

Shipp, a 2019 Wyandanch graduate, attended Hudson Valley Community College in Troy last year and was scheduled to return to the school this week, his family said.

"He said, ‘Auntie, I’m going to go there and make my mark," said Shipp’s aunt, Shanazia Napper of Amityville.

Shipp, who played running back and linebacker while at Wyandanch, had NFL potential, according to Dwight Singleton, his Wyandanch coach. As a freshman in 2016, Shipp’s speed and agility impressed college scouts at a Ronkonkoma football combine.

"They labeled him very early in his career as special," Singleton, now an assistant football coach at Long Island University, said, weeping.

"He was loved by his community, he was loved by his teammates," Singleton added. "Alonte set a good example for us to follow."

Former Wyandanch teammate Christian Flowers said Shipp was a hard-nosed competitor who pushed Flowers to become a better player.

"He was always trying to prove himself and take my starting spot at running back, and he tried so hard and I respected that in him," said Flowers, now a football player at the University of Albany. "There was no hill too much to climb."

Competitors praised his speed.

"Shipp was a terrific player," said Babylon coach Rick Punzone. "We couldn't let him get outside because he was so fast. He was also very tough to block when they played him at the linebacker position. He was a very good all around player."

Family members said they have been contacted by Shipp’s friends and teammates from as far away as Florida, California and Nevada.

"They loved him," Shanazia Napper said. "He was an inspiration. He was a light."

Shipp had a magnetism that made everybody around him smile, according to his sister, Vonteshia Napper. He loved music and dancing, she said, and was a talented artist who aspired to design clothing, she said.

"He loved everyone," said Vonteshia Napper, 28, of Wheatley Heights. "He had an unmatched vibe, an unmatched spirit. Never a dull moment. He could never not smile or never not be happy. He was the best. I love my little brother and I’m going to miss him."

Shipp stole the show when he competed in talent competitions as a child, Vonteshia Napper said.

"You couldn’t tell that kid he was not Michael Jackson," she said with a laugh. "He had the moves, the words, he had everything going."

Shanazia Napper said her nephew was a victim of the gun violence that has claimed too many American lives in recent years.

"Guns are not the answer," said Napper. "When we were kids we would fight it out, go back to the playground, do what we do, but this is a different time and era."