Former professional basketball player Kinu Rochford was shot and killed during a basketball tournament in Harlem on Friday night, according to the New York Police Department.
Rochford, 35, suffered a gunshot wound to the head after gunfire erupted near King Towers in Upper Manhattan. Two other people were also wounded and remain in stable condition.
Rochford was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to the police statement reported by local media, Rochford was shot while competing in the tournament.
He resides in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which is roughly15 miles from the scene of his murder.
Who was Kinu Rochford?
Rochford built an impressive basketball career that spanned nearly a decade overseas after starring in college in New Jersey.
The Brooklyn resident began his collegiate career at Globe Institute of Technology, where he earned Region XV Player of the Year honours. He later transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson University. There, Rochford emerged as one of the Northeast Conference's top forwards.
During the 2012-13 season, Rochford averaged 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for Fairleigh Dickinson.
{{/usCountry}}During the 2012-13 season, Rochford averaged 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for Fairleigh Dickinson.
{{/usCountry}}Although he went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Rochford carved out a successful international career. He played professionally in the Netherlands, Israel, France, England, Switzerland, Lithuania, Iceland, Portugal and Kosovo.
His achievements included winning the Lithuanian National Basketball League championship in 2017. He also led Iceland's top basketball league in rebounding during the 2018-19 season.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on X expressed grief over Rochford's death and wrote, “I am heartbroken for the family of the man who was killed last night at a basketball tournament in Harlem. This senseless violence must stop. New Yorkers deserve to spend the summer watching and playing sports, attending community events, and enjoying our public spaces.”
What happened during the Harlem shooting?
According to the New York Daily News, the shooting occurred during a large community basketball tournament held behind an apartment building in the New York City Housing Authority's King Towers complex. Rochford was participating in the tournament when the shooting began.
Police said officers responded shortly before 10:25 pm to reports of shots fired behind 70 Lenox Avenue, near West 112th Street.
Officers found three victims: Rochford, a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the shin and a 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her right forearm. The other two victims were transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem and were listed in stable condition. Police have not announced any arrests or identified a suspect. The investigation remains ongoing.
The New York Police Department has urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers as detectives continue investigating the fatal shooting. Officials have not indicated whether Rochford was the intended target.