Teenager Sentenced to 10 Years to Life for Shooting Death of Innocent Honor Student on Basketball Court in Brownsville

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 9, 2022

 

Teenager Sentenced to 10 Years to Life for Shooting Death of
Innocent Honor Student on Basketball Court in Brownsville

Defendant Struck the Victim in the Head When Firing into Playground

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brownsville teenager, who was only 14 when he fatally shot a 16-year-old boy while he was playing basketball, has been sentenced to 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This heartbreaking case highlights the devastation gun violence wreaks in our communities. An innocent, beloved teenager was senselessly killed when this defendant callously sprayed a Brownsville basketball court with bullets. A promising life has been cut short, a family remains in mourning, and after living through a troubled childhood, this young defendant’s future is now in ruins. We will continue to use every available tool to prevent gun violence through community engagement, youth programming, and outreach, while ensuring accountability for those who cause harm.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Aaron Nathaniel, 18, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today as a juvenile offender by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Craig Walker to 10 years to life in prison, following his guilty plea on April 6 to second-degree murder.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on September 21, 2018, at approximately 3:50 p.m., in Chester Playground, on Chester Street, in Brownsville, the defendant opened fire on a crowd of people on a basketball court, striking the victim, 16-year-old Oluwadurotimi Oyebola, known as Timi, of Queens, once in the head. The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The defendant was arrested on October 3, 2018, following an investigation. The shooting was captured on video surveillance and video from the immediate aftermath showed the gun in the defendant’s hand. Following his arrest, the defendant made statements to police in which he admitted to the shooting and said the victim was not the intended target.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gwen Barnes, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Howard L. Jackson, First Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.