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Shamoya McKenzie, an eighth grader at the Graham School, was an innocent bystander when the shots rang out on East 3rd Street near Pease Street just before 3 p.m. Saturday. She was pronounced dead at Montefiore Hospital Saturday afternoon.
McKenzie, who was 6-feet tall, was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle and on her way back home from basketball practice when she was shot. She was one of not only the top athletes in her grade, but one of the top students as well.
"We lost an angel amongst us," read a post on the MVHS Lady Knights Basketball Facebook page. "Young Shamoya McKenzie was more than a rising star on the court. She was a beautiful, intelligent young lady who brightened the room with her smile. I do not know and pretend to understand God's plan, but I pray that we can all find strength to get through this unimaginable tragedy."
Social workers and grief counselors will be available at the Graham School, at 521 E 5th St., starting at 9 a.m. and at Mount Vernon High School, located at 100 California Rd., around 2 p.m. Sunday.
An unidentified Mount Vernon man was also shot in the arm in the incident and remains hospitalized, according to authorities.
The shooting is under investigation, no suspects have been identified as yet and no motive has been reported.
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