A Bronx man was found guilty in the shooting death of a 17-year-old high school basketball star and academic standout who was killed after he was shot with a stray bullet at a barbecue.
Nahjim Luke was convicted on first-degree manslaughter and second-degree weapon possession, the Bronx district attorney's office said Monday. The 26-year-old was found guilty of firing the shots that killed Brandon Hendricks, who was killed just days after he graduated from high school and had been set to play college basketball for St. John's University.
Prosecutors alleged Luke fired shots at a group of people who had gathered for a barbecue on Davidson Avenue the evening of June 28, with one of the bullets striking Hendricks in the back. He was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later.
Luke immediately fled the scene and was taken into custody about a week later, authorities previously said. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
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Attorney information for Luke was not immediately clear.
Hendricks had graduated from James Monroe High School earlier in the month. He was a point guard for the Eagles, helping them make the playoffs his final season before the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted athletics programs. His social media accounts showed a deep love for the game, full of highlight videos and reports of peers going on to college offers.
A senior NYPD official said Hendricks had never had any interactions with the police in his young life. His family and friends were left reeling after his death -- and wondering for whom the deadly bullet had been intended in the first place.
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Hendricks' coach took to Instagram shortly after his death to remember Hendricks as both an athletic and academic leader.
