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Boy, 13, Is Killed Near His Brooklyn Home

A 13-year-old boy was fatally shot late Thursday near his home in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, a law enforcement official said.

Investigators believe the boy, Troy Gill, was returning from a Brooklyn Nets game when he was shot about four blocks from home, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details.

The killing was the latest in a spate of deadly shootings in Crown Heights this week.

Mortally wounded, Troy made it nearly two blocks before collapsing by the Children’s Museum, near the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and St. Marks Street, the official said.

The boy was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the chest, the official said. Officers discovered him after receiving multiple 911 calls from people who heard the gunshots, the official said. The initial call was received at around 10:40 p.m., according to the police.

Troy was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital, the police said. Investigators found six shell casings at the corner of New York Avenue and Bergen Street, the official said, adding that the police were still trying to figure out a motive as of early Friday. No arrests had been made and the killing remained under investigation.

On Friday, a few votive candles had been placed outside the six-story apartment building where Troy lived. Two men who refused to identify themselves blocked the entrance of the building, threatening journalists seeking access.

That afternoon, police tape was scattered around the area of Brooklyn Avenue where the boy collapsed the night before. Law enforcement officers were canvassing the neighborhood, searching for witnesses.

The killing was at least the third fatal shooting this week in Crown Heights, a bustling neighborhood east of Downtown Brooklyn.

On Monday, a 37-year-old man died after he was shot during an argument at a bodega on Franklin Avenue, according to the police. On Wednesday evening, a 33-year-old man died after he was shot in the head outside his home on McKeever Place, the police said.

Irma Brown, a nurse who has lived in Crown Heights for decades, said she was rattled by the recent wave of gun violence in her neighborhood.

“It makes me scared,” said Ms. Brown, 57, about returning home late at night after finishing work. She added that she was particularly concerned for her 17-year-old daughter.

“She could be coming home, and what if a stray bullet hit her?” Ms. Brown said.

Wesley Parnell contributed reporting.

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