The devastated family of an 11-year-old upstate New York boy who was shot and killed by another youngster is speaking out for the first time, pledging support for a state anti-gun violence program.
“On behalf of our family, we want to thank the City of Newburgh and all police agencies involved in the apprehension of the shooter,” relatives of the tragic boy, identified by kin as Matthew Degroat, said in a statement to News12 Westchester on Wednesday.
“We send a huge thank you to the SNUG group, its community partners and everyone for their continued prayers and support in our time of need,” they said. “Mathew may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.”
Matthew Degroat, 11, was shot and killed by a 13-year-old boy in Newburgh on Oct. 9, according to police. J.C. Rice
SNUG, an acronym for Should Never Use Guns that spells “guns” backwards — is a statewide anti-gun program founded in 2009 and funded by private contributions and the state Department of Criminal Justice.
The grieving family’s statement to the outlet marks the first time the boy’s family has spoken about Matthew’s tragic death on Oct. 9, which sent Newburgh schools into a lockout.
Police responded to a home on North Miller Street at 8:17 a.m. and found the boy dead inside.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting, which sources told The Post was an act of revenge for an earlier shooting, allegedly involving Matthew’s older brother.
The medical examiner’s office removes Matthew Degroat’s body from the Newburgh home where he was killed Oct. 9. Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock
The shooting death of 11-year-old Matthew Degroat on Oct. 9 has shaken the upstate New York city of Newburgh. J.C. Rice
Newburgh cops also retrieved an unlicensed handgun from the home, authorities said.
“There were four people in the immediate area when the boy was shot,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoover told The Post over the weekend.
The alleged baby-faced shooter has not been identified due to his age, and a spokesman for the district attorney’s office declined to comment on the case on Wednesday.
The suspect was ordered held without bail at a juvenile facility pending further proceedings.