Darren Foggey Jr. was a casualty in an ongoing conflict between groups of kids that live on either side of Western Avenue, according to police.
Just a week earlier, police had shot at someone who was shooting from 68th Street across Western Avenue toward rivals on the other side.
They gave chase and fired a shot when one of the three people who fled turned a gun on police. One of the three eluded capture and police never found a gun.
Police also say a woman shot to death on 68th Street
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the evening of July 7 while walking with friends was tied to the conflict as a possible combatant.The shooting Wednesday night followed a day of conflict, according to a neighbor. First, a group of kids from the other side of Western ran up in the apartment building where ended up dying.
Later one, two of them rode over on bikes and shot at a boy who lives on Artesian south of 69th Street, but missed.
“What gets me is how comfortable these kids are,” Debra Lewis said.
Comfortable. Nonchalant Like it’s natural on a warm summer day to roll slow down a street and let a few shots go toward a sworn enemy, then pedal back toward the safety of their side of Western Avenue.
Both times, neighbors called police. Officers lined up the boys the first time, searched them, but let them go, Debra Lewis said. The second time, the boys disappeared before police arrived.
Then Foggey Jr. was shot. A single shot, into the apartment. Everyone inside dropped but Foggey Jr. was shot through the neck and died inside. Police said he may have been sitting on a radiator near a window at the time, and would have presented an easy target from the street below.
On Friday, Foggey said his son was shot by people he knew, who he was fighting with earlier in the day. “He liked baseball and basketball, video games and cooking,” said Foggey.
Darren preferred to spend more time with his friends than his father.
“He was a good kid,” said Foggey Sr. “He was true to himself.”