A community gathering became a crime scene after gunfire killed one man and wounded two other people Friday night.
NEW YORK — A shooting during a summer basketball tournament in Harlem killed a 35-year-old man and wounded two other people Friday night, disrupting an event that residents described as a popular neighborhood gathering.
The gunfire was reported shortly before 10:30 p.m. at a basketball court behind 70 Lenox Ave. Police arrived to find three people with gunshot wounds as players, spectators and other visitors were gathered in the area.
The 35-year-old man, later identified by police as Brooklyn resident Kinu Rochford, had been shot in the head. Emergency medical workers took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A 28-year-old man who was shot in the shin and a 22-year-old woman who was wounded in the right forearm were also hospitalized. Police said their injuries were not considered life-threatening and both were in stable condition.
Residents said the court hosts a basketball tournament that is well known in the area during the summer. Police had not determined whether the shooting grew out of an incident connected to a game or whether it was unrelated to the tournament.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said the shooting damaged a sense of safety around an event intended to bring people together.
“It’s completely disheartening,” the resident said, adding that people should be able to attend a summer tournament without fearing that they could be caught in gunfire.
Authorities had not said whether Rochford was playing in the tournament, attending as a spectator or visiting the court for another reason. They also had not released the names of the two surviving victims.
Investigators searched the court for evidence after the crowd cleared. No information was immediately available about the number of shots fired, the weapon used or whether more than one person was involved.
No arrests had been announced by Saturday. Police said the motive and the circumstances that led to the shooting remained unknown as detectives continued searching for the person responsible.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.