Kinu Rochford, a 35-year-old professional basketball player who played for several teams in Europe, died after being shot in the head during a basketball tournament in Harlem, New York.
The Kingdome tournament was being held on a basketball court on Lenox Avenue, between 112th and 115th Streets, when shots were heard.
Rochford was shot in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
“It sounded like a firework. And then I heard it again and people started running,” witness Jessica Montgomery told the New York Post.
The shooting stemmed from a dispute that Rochford, a Brooklyn resident, was having with another man, according to a police source.
Two other people, a 28-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, also suffered gunshot wounds.
“It’s sad to say that I no longer have him with me, but look at this. My brother continues to bring people together even after he’s passed away,” said Kairo Rochford, Kinu Rochford’s brother, at the memorial service for the player who starred at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Kinu Rochford rose to prominence at Fairleigh Dickinson before making the leap to European basketball.
After finishing his NCAA career, he made the leap to professional basketball in Europe, playing for Aris Leeuwarden, Elitzur Yavne, ESSM Le Portel, Cheshire Phoenix, BC Boncourt Red Team, Garonne ASPTT, Suduva-Mantinga, Plymouth Raiders, Hamar, Terceira Basket and Golden Eagle Ylli.
The 6’6″ forward used to play local tournaments in New York when he finished his professional contracts abroad.
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