A grieving father is mourning the loss of his 16-year-old son, who was shot and killed during an outburst of violence in the Bronx on Wednesday night.
Christopher Redding was one of three teenagers hit by gunfire. Surveillance footage captured part of the chaos, showing kids running as shots rang out.
Police say multiple shots were fired on the street, though the dispute began inside a nearby McDonald’s — apparently over ice cream.
“He was going to get something to eat. Some kids started trouble, words were exchanged, and that’s what happened,” said the victim’s father Bryan Corley.
Redding was shot in the back and died from his injuries.
His friend, a 13-year-old girl, and another 15-year-old boy were both shot in the leg.
Police say the incident may have been gang-related. However, Redding’s father insists his son, who played football at Kennedy High School, was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Awesome kid, great. That gang stuff? That’s not him, you know. He’s like every other teenager, he likes music, but he doesn’t indulge,” said Corley. “This is a very tough time because it’s always the good ones that this happens to.”
On Thursday morning, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked about recent shootings in the Bronx, which he characterized as “heartbreaking and horrific.”
“I am thankful for the work of the NYPD not only in responding to them but also in the actions they are taking to ensure that we work to prevent them in the future,” Mamdani said.
But the grieving father had another take.
“These kids don’t have god in their life…no repercussions, no conscience, that’s why they do the things they do, they don’t know,” Corley said.
Later Thursday afternoon the NYPD released surveillance of four people — three males and one female — they say are persons of interest in connection to the shooting.
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