The family of little 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was gunned down by a stray bullet earlier this month, led a funeral procession for the tot through the Brooklyn community early Tuesday morning.

The tiny pink casket was loaded into the back of a glass carriage just before 8:30 a.m. on April 14 as mourners watched in sorrow. Kaori’s name was inscribed on the little coffin, with flowers with an image of Disney’s Mini Mouse were laid atop it.

A white horse pulled the carriage along Lafayette Avenue, followed by the baby’s mourning family — her mother, father, and two-year-old sibling. Onlookers watched in despair, the size of the tiny casket reflecting the true horror of the crime. 

“That’s a baby, that’s not a normal-size casket to be in there,” friend of the family, Isaiah Greats, said. “It’s automatically gonna catch your attention, because that’s a small casket, that’s not easy.”

The fatal shot was fired at the corner of Humboldt and Moore Streets just after 1:20 p.m. on April 1, which struck Patterson-Moore in the head as the little girl was being rolled in a stroller by her mother. Frantic efforts to save the infant’s life were for naught; Patterson-Moore died a short time later at Woodhull Hospital.

Scenes of pain at Brooklyn baby’s funeral
The tot’s name was inscribed on the little coffin and flowers with an image of Disney’s Mini Mouse were laid atop it. The carriage itself was pulled by a white horse followed by a procession led by the family, her mother, father, and two-year-old sibling.Photo by Dean Moses

The procession traveled by the scene of the tragic shooting and returned to the Woodward Funeral Home on Troy Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The mood inside the funeral home located at 1 Troy Ave. on Tuesday morning. was one of deep melancholy. Patterson-Moore lay in the open pink casket surrounded by pink balloons. Many mourners also wore pink, while others wore shirts depicting the slain baby’s face. Throughout the evening, flowers could be seen being carried into the service, some with angel wings. 

Kaori’s funeral procession came the morning after an emotional funeral service on Monday attended by family, friends, and the likes of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton. 

The family of little 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, who was gunned down by a stray bullet, led a funeral procession for the tot through the Brooklyn community early Tuesday morning.Photo by Dean Moses

“We must turn this tragedy into a wake up call in our own community by really starting again, patrolling and talking to our young people. We fight external forces, but we also need to have the internal infrastructure of bringing us out a matter of dignity and self-awareness that we don’t see this happen again,” Sharpton said. “We marched when others killed us. We need to have that same vigor and energy when people are killing each other. Do you see that energy? I hope so. I’m pledging to them. I pledge to the family, I’ll be there to help generate that.”

Photo by Dean Moses Photo by Dean Moses

Raheem Jennings, the Godfather of the tot’s mom, told amNewYork and explained that he is still trying to make sense of the tragedy.

“A lot of emotions are going on,  it’s a devastating situation for the family, for the community, for everybody,” Jennings said. “It’s just surreal, just horrible.”
Photo by Dean Moses