[....]
The family of Shalimar Birkett, 32, of Queens, was left distraught on Tuesday after a
drive-by shooter opened fire on a crowd of mourners in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn around 11 p.m. Monday, according to police.
Birkett was attending a candlelight vigil for a friend — 31-year-old Miles Bobbsemple, of Brooklyn — when a bullet struck her in the head. She was found lying in the street when police arrived, authorities said. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Community advocate Tony Herbert and other neighborhood leaders on Tuesday expressed outrage and concern over the continued gun violence.
[....]
Police said Bobbsemple was shot around 12:30 a.m. Monday after stepping on a gang member’s foot during a house party. Sources told WPIX that police believe members of the same gang were behind the shooting at the vigil where Birkett was killed, but she wasn’t the intended target.
The shootings are part of a disturbing trend involving gang and gun violence in New York City.
[....]
Birkett’s family said she leaves behind two young sons. They also said her younger brother was killed a few years ago in gun violence.
“I want these killers to be found,” said Alston Josiah, Birkett’s uncle. “Please find them, because the family is in disarray because of this selfishness at a vigil. It’s very disheartening.”
Police continued to search for suspects in both shootings.
www.wavy.com
