Grieving N.J. city lights a candle to mourn fallen high school basketball star
A small crowd gathered Monday on a broken piece of sidewalk in East Orange where the brief life of Letrell Duncan ended, a week after the high school basketball star was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
Community activists, family, and friends held a midday vigil near the corner of Park Avenue and Lincoln Street where Duncan, a star point guard on the East Orange high school team, was fatally shot by two masked men, authorities said.
In a street ceremony that leaned heavily on African traditions, attendees sprinkled water on the ground, lit candles and paid homage to Duncan, who vigil organizer Bashir Akinyele called our newest ancestor. Then they called for unity, tougher gun laws, and more parental responsibility to address what one speaker called a pandemic of violence in the Black community.
Duncans grandmother, Pamela Courten, said she was going to write a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to bring Republicans and Democrats together to do more to stem gun violence. She said the pain of losing her grandchild cuts to my core.
How many other parents and grandparents are hurting like me? she wondered. I dont want anyone to go through the pain Im going through. This isnt only about Letrell. This is about America.
She urged Biden to put on your big pants and do something. Beyond politics, her grandsons murder was also intensely personal. She wants the killers brought to justice.
Child Zahir, left, looks at a picture of Letrell Duncan at his memorial where he was killed on Lincoln Street in East Orange on Monday, October 10, 2022.John J. LaRosa | For NJ Advance
I want to know who did this, she said. And I want to know why. Why did you do this?
Duncan, 16, a sophomore at East Orange Campus High School was considered one of the top high school basketball players in state, having led the Jaguars to a 15-9 record last season. He was also an AAU standout with the Garden State Bounce and appeared headed for a college scholarship.
Shortly after dismissal last Monday, Duncan was walking home when a car pulled up on Lincoln Street, near the front door of the Edward T. Bower Sr. Elementary. Authorities said there were two men, both wearing masks, and Duncan was shot four times.
The vehicle fled the scene and Duncan was pronounced dead at University Hospital a short time later. East Orange Mayor Ted Green said he spoke to his police chief about the investigation that is being handled by the Essex County Prosecutors Office. Although no arrests have been made Green said he was comfortable that investigators were making progress.
We are 97% at a level where things are going to start turning over, so Im comfortable with that, Green said. The city increased police patrols around its schools since the shooting, he said.
Duncans promise as an athlete underscored the pain of losing yet another young person to gun violence. Those gathered Monday mourned the fact that the great potential he had would never be realized.
Words cannot express the pain of the familys loss, said Larry Hamm, the head of the Peoples Organization for Progress. Had Letrell lived, we dont know what great contributions he would have made to his family, his community, and to perhaps his country and the world. He was well-loved. He was a good student. There is just no reason why we should be grieving his death.
A memorial for 16 year old Letrell Duncan, who was killed on Lincoln Street in East Orange, hangs from a fence on Monday, October 10, 2022.John J. LaRosa | For NJ Advance
Hamm then issued an appeal that brought cheers from the crowd. I want to make a plea to the person that murdered Letrell Duncan, to turn yourself in.
Hamm noted that more than 30,000 Americans die by gunfire each year, a mixture of suicides and homicides. Like other speakers, he called for tougher gun control measures, but also said that stricter laws can only do so much. Change has to come from within the community, he said.
We cant move forward if we are fighting each other, he said.
A young activist, Marquise Kindel, 24, spoke of what it is like to be a young person in a neighborhood where danger seems to be everywhere.
We can stand here all day and say stop the violence, stop the violence, stop the violence, he said. But you have to understand what we go through. Walking home from school. Walking to the store. Getting out of the car. We have to watch our back, because there is a lot going on.22
Vigil held for 16 year old Letrell Duncan killed in East Orange
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Richard Cowen may be reached at rcowen@njadvancemedia.com.
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