Richards echoed a similar sentiment.
“There are no gun manufacturers in Queens County, there are no gun manufacturers in South Jamaica,” he said. “This epidemic that we face, is to cause our demise.”
Other speakers called for more city and state resources – and more effort from members of the community – to address violence among youth in Southeast Queens.
“I blame all the adults that sat there and watched,” said James Johnson, a local leader. “These are our babies. If we don’t take care of them, if we don’t take care of our own babies, who is going to take care of us?”
Shootings are down in Southeast Queens. In the busy 113th Precinct where the shooting took place, shooting incidents are down 50 percent this year.
But locals said Monday, it doesn’t feel as though the numbers address the reality on the ground.
“I hear stats are the stats, and stats and stats, but I’m walking the street and there’s gun violence everywhere,” said a local pastor.
Pierre was remembered on Monday night, by family, friends and classmates.
Many wore jackets and t-shirts from his high school, Eagle Academy, which is located just down the street from the park.
Candles were lit at a memorial covered in flowers. Jaden’s name was written with small lights.
His great-grandmother, Nellie Washington, and another young member of his family recalled Pierre’s love of basketball, and the hopes he might play professionally one day, as well as his love of the video game Fortnite and dancing.
“He was the best,” said the young family member who did not give reporters his name.
Washington described the pain she felt seeing the video of her great-grandson’s murder.
“I saw it on the video, and that pain went into my heart, it went into my heart, I felt it,” she said. “I felt my great-grandson in pain, because I felt the pain. This should not happen to no mother.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the NYPD continued to investigate the shooting and had yet to make an arrest.
Pierre was shot by what appeared to be another teen around 6:15 p.m. on Thursday in broad daylight in the park, not far from the basketball courts where Monday’s vigil was held. The fight that led to the shooting involved a large number of teens.
Videos posted to social media showed the preceding fight, and then the alleged killer hitting Pierre once with the gun, then doing so again. During the second strike, the gun fired and hit Pierre, who slumped to the ground immediately.
Police have not said what caused the skirmish.
The 15-year-old was taken by medics to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The NYPD, which called the shooting a “horrific act of violence” in a social media post, said the suspected shooter was wearing all gray clothing and white sneakers at the time of the attack.
Wanted signs of the alleged shooter littered the park on Monday.