After Pleading with Someone to Stop Shooting him with a Water Gun, He took a Real Bullet: Know More Here

A family is currently grieving the loss of a second son to gun violence after what began as a water battle in a Bronx park on a sweltering summer day turned into actual carnage.

According to an NYPD official who talked to PEOPLE, Darrell Harris, 17, was shot in the head and arm at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday near Sheridan Boulevard and East 173rd Street. He passed away from his wounds after being taken in serious condition to the neighboring Jacobi Hospital.

“He told me he was going to the park because his friends were having a water gun fight,” Kellie Lewis, Harris’ mother, told sources.

During the heat wave, a group of teenagers gathered at Starlight Park to cool down by shooting water guns at one another, according to sources, until a much bloodier altercation broke out.

According to witnesses, Darrell repeatedly implored someone to stop shooting him in the head with water. Before leaving the scene, the shooter—whom the police did not identify—drew a real gun and started shooting.

The NYPD tells PEOPLE that an investigation is still continuing and that no arrests have been made.

According to sources, Darrell’s mother described him as a “quiet child” who “didn’t really go outside” as he prepared to start his final year at Bronx Leadership Academy.

According to his mother, his older brother, Jamal Hunter, was shot and killed in 2021. Sources claim that his killer was apprehended and found guilty.

“I’ve been through this already with my oldest son … I have to make sure my other children are well,” Lewis told the outlet. “They lost one sibling, now they just lost another one, so it takes a toll on the whole family, and that’s what these kids don’t realize when they pick up these weapons.”