3 suspects arrested in shooting death of mother of 12
The NYPD announced Tuesday that their investigation into the tragic killing of, Zurana Horton, in Brownsville, Brooklyn has resulted in the arrests of 3 young men.
Investigators say Andrew Lopez, 18, admitted to spraying the Brownsville streets with hot lead last Friday, just as class was letting out at about 2:30PM.
Also arrested were his brothers Kristian Lopez, 17, and Jonathan Carrasquillo, 22.
“We’re certainly pleased with the fact that the investigation has identified Mr. Lopez [Albert] and he’s made statements and apparently made a full confession,” police commissioner Raymond Kelly commented.
Horton, 33, was picking up her children from P.S. 298 when the cracking sound of gunfire erupted.
The mother of 13 instinctively shielded the small group of youth, ushering them to safety, as she was fatally struck in the head by a stray shot.
Also wounded were Cheanne McKnight, an 11-year-old girl whose right cheek was grazed, and Unique Armstead, 31, struck in the left arm as she met her son.
As the drama unfolded, a teacher snatched one of Horton’s children away to safety.
Andrew’s intended targets, as he fired from the roof of 1800 Pitkin Ave., appeared to be a group of youth from a nearby housing project that they confronted earlier.
“I feel bad for their family. These kids don’t have a mother now,” sadly stated Larry Farrell, 63, a retired sanitation worker, while at a makeshift shrine erected where the tragedy took place.
A distraught O’niel Vaughn said his children’s mother maintained high ambitions of relocating her family out of the crime-ridden community soon.
“She was worried about the violence,” Vaughn verified. “She said she wanted to move and buy a house for her kids. Those kids were her life.”
“Moments before, she was seen hovering over several children to protect them,” NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.
Some of Horton’s children were not yet aware of their mother’s passing.
“I didn’t tell the younger kids yet,” shared Vaughn. “The older ones know… they’re devastated.”
Horton’s cousin, Denessa Temple, paid praise her saying,
“She lived a hero dedicating herself to her children, and she died a hero giving her life to protect children,” said Temple, 35. “She was afraid of gun violence. We all are.”
Reached at her home last night, Armstead said she was in good spirits and asked for privacy.
“I just want to let everyone know that I’m okay, and I thank everyone for the well wishes,” said Armstead, speaking with a white bandage wrapped around her left arm.
Denise Horton, 54, cooked and cared for her courageous daughter’s grieving off-spring at her three-bedroom Bushwick apartment.
“I’ve lost three children now all to the same thing – gunfire,” she stated, adding that two of her sons were killed in separate shootings.”
The grandmother’s husband, Kenneth Thompson, 53, said they are determined to make sure Zurana’s children are cared for.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we’re gonna make sure these children are provided for,” said Thompson, a maintenance man at a battered women’s shelter.
Zurana’s son , Tyquran, 16, said he and his brothers and sisters, ages 1 to 18 years old, are devastated.
“She was the only person in my heart.”
