NYPDFormer members of the NYPD took to Facebook to talk trash about a 14-year-old boy who was recently gunned down execution style. His suspected killer is 25-year-old Travis Bloch, a veteran gang member from New York. The teen, Christopher Duran, was a seventh grader who also allegedly belonged to a gang closely associated with the infamous Crips.

Despite his young age, Duran had a serious rap sheet. He had been arrested five times and displayed, what many believe to be, gang signs, videos and pictures on social media. According to law enforcement, Duran’s older brother Christian is an active leader in the same notorious and violent gang known as 280. Some suggested Duran may have been mistaken for his brother, however, police do not agree.

The teen was headed to school with his younger brother when he was violently gunned down. Duran’s killer had been waiting for him to leave the house and had placed a lookout down the block. Just a few doors from his Sheridan Avenue home, as his little brother watched, Duran was shot in the neck. The teen fell to the ground and the shooter stood over him and continued shooting; Duran was hit several times in the torso before the gunman and  his alleged lookout, Jeremiah Thomas, fled.

Duran was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime as he laid in a pool of his own blood surrounded by eight shell casings from the .45-caliber pistol. The death of such a young boy is a terrible tragedy in itself, but when former cops cold-heartedly call the boy a thug, it makes people wonder how many police share the same sentiments. One of the ex-policeman named Andrew Blethen said:

F*** him, He would have wound up killing somebody eventually or would have been in jail. Saved taxpayers a lot of money.

Another former member of the NYPD named Joseph Gasparre added:

Piece of s*** thug at 14, he would have cut the throat of a nun, no loss there. I’m sure his mother had a few of those cute kids and is on public assistance. One less mouth to feed, one new hole to dig.

NYPD

To make matters worse, during a time where the country has been caught in a web of controversy surrounding police brutality and unarmed black men being killed at their expense, one of the guys had the audacity to say:

Maybe the city will dedicate a plaque to him like Ferguson did for Michael Brown.

The racist exchanges between current and former NYPD included several negative comments about the deceased teen before one commented telling the guys to stop because the conversation had become a lynch mob instead of a discussion. He stated:

The kid was 14 years old, whatever he did or did not do it is pretty clear he never had a chance. Or at the NYPDvery least never got old enough to appreciate the choices he was making. Maybe he was destined to become a really terrible adult, but he is still a dead kid and I just do not see a universe where that is not tragic.

A representative for the NYPD confirmed Blethen and Gasparre were both ex-members of the NYPD. Since the men are no longer law enforcement they could not be held accountable for their comments, but the mentality of these men did widen the conversation concerning the thoughts cops have towards minorities.

Christopher Duran was shot and killed in the Bronx as part of an apparent turf war between the Bloods and Crips. Neighbors of the 14-year-old say he terrorized the neighborhood and was no good. His family denies he had any ties to a gang and was a good kid. Duran obviously had some issues given his lengthy criminal record, but the mindset of the former members of the NYPD should be unacceptable in the eyes of an equal and just society.

by Cherese Jackson (Virginia)

Sources:

Raw Story: Ex-NYPD cops trash 14-year-old shooting victim in shocking Facebook exchange
NY Post: 14-year-old gang member killed on way to school
NY Post: Gang member suspected in murder of 14-year-old boy

Photo Credits:

Image Courtesy of Dave Hosford – Flickr License
Image Courtesy of Duncan Oldman – Flickr License


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