The Bronx is reeling after a back-to-school event at Haffen Park turned into a scene of chaos and tragedy. Seventeen-year-old Anthonaya Campbell was shot in the back of the head after gunmen unleashed more than 40 rounds during a basketball tournament on Saturday night.
Campbell, who had returned to her old neighborhood for the event, was rushed to Jacobi Hospital. Her family said they pleaded for her to be transferred, fearing she wasn’t receiving proper care. Their requests were denied. On Monday, she died in the same hospital — just hours after celebrating her mother’s proudest day, receiving a Ph.D. in psychology.
Police recovered six firearms at the scene and arrested four suspects, two of them teenagers. One man was also killed in the hail of bullets, and several others were wounded. Authorities have not disclosed the full details of the investigation, but the arrests have sparked controversy.
One suspect’s mother insists her son is innocent, claiming he was volunteering at the event and was wrongly targeted by police because of his clothing. “He was wearing an orange hoodie, and they grabbed him,” she said, accusing investigators of rushing to judgment.
The tragedy has left a neighborhood shaken and a family devastated. Questions remain about who fired the fatal shot, why Campbell wasn’t transferred to another hospital, and how violence continues to plague community gatherings meant to inspire and uplift youth.
For Campbell’s loved ones, answers cannot come soon enough.
