David Hardy, 21, the suspect accused in the shooting, was in Mount Vernon City Court Wednesday, after being charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon last month following an investigation into the fatal shooting that took McKenzie’s life when she was a passenger in a car driving near the intersection of Chestnut Place and 3rd Street.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, McKenzie was a passenger in the car when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet.
According to police, McKenzie was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A second victim was also struck in the shooting, suffering non-life threatening injuries.
A star for both the Mount Vernon Junior Knights, Lady Elites and the High School JV Lady Knights, McKenzie had dreams of attending the University of Connecticut to play under coach Geno Auriemma before making her way to the WNBA.
Last month, the Huskies made McKenzie an honorable member of their squad, complete with a letter from the school for her family and jersey bearing her number 30. On Friday, Mount Vernon will play host to the first ever Shamoya McKenzie Memorial Basketball Doubleheader, with proceeds from the event going to help her family.
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