The smallest participant on the courtroom was the one his teammates seemed as much as.
Jayden Goodridge, killed by a gunshot fired within the Bronx this previous Sunday, was all the time a frontrunner throughout his 4 years as a 5-foot-2 level guard for the famend Riverside Hawks AAU staff, his former coach advised the Daily News.
“A huge heart, a big smile, loved by everyone,” mentioned coach Andre Thomas. “He always knew how to keep the fellas laughing. Good times, bad times, just a pleasure to coach, on and off the court.”
Goodridge, 21, was standing simply outdoors St. Mary’s Park close to E. 149th St. and Jackson Ave. in Mott Haven when the shooter opened hearth Sunday evening, with a deadly bullet hitting him within the abdomen, cops mentioned.
Police mentioned it was unclear if Goodridge, recognized to pals by the nickname “Jiggy,” was the meant goal of the bullets fired by gunman driving an e-bike. A second man on the Bronx avenue nook was wounded earlier than the killer fled the homicide scene.
A relative mentioned Goodridge was strolling with some pals on their approach to go to one other pal when the capturing began.
One witness, Rashad Haynes, 28, mentioned he heard 4 photographs proper outdoors The Port Morris School of Community Leadership.
“He was screaming when he got hit like he was really, really scared,” Haynes mentioned. “He ran and collapsed across the street right there in front of the school. There was a lot of blood on the ground after they put him into the ambulance. It was crazy, just crazy.”
The sufferer’s mom, Jennifer Gay, 42, mentioned she was advised that the e-bike made a U-turn earlier than its rider began capturing.
Goodridge died simply 10 days earlier than his birthday, Nov. 23, which fell on Thanksgiving the 12 months he was born. His grandmother nicknamed him “Butterball” to mark the event.
“He was always a good and happy,” Gay mentioned. “He was a happy baby.”
Gay remembered taking her son to a Harry Potter film when he was just some months previous. She mentioned the opposite film goers have been shocked to see {that a} child had been within the theater the complete time.
“He was quiet and they were so surprised he was there,” she mentioned. “Always good.”
Gay noticed early on that her son could be considering sports activities, and signed him up for basketball when he was 5 years previous.
“He was so very athletic,” Gay mentioned. “He taught himself how to do a backflip from watching wrestling.”
Hailey, Goodridge’s 13-year-old sister, was devastated by her brother’s demise.
“He’s really fun to be around,” Hailey mentioned.
Gay mentioned she believes her son’s demise was a case of mistaken identification.
“They have no enemies,” she mentioned. “They’re not in gangs. They play basketball, that’s all. They were just going to play basketball.”
She mentioned she is sick of gun violence.
“I just feel like nobody cares anymore,” Gay mentioned. “It’s so ingrained into kids’ brains that no life is worth it. Not even your own life is worth it. I don’t think changing policies will help. I don’t see a bright future. They’ll always find a way.”
Goodridge’s uncle, Miyani Mcnamee, 29, labored on the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, the place Goodridge was a member. They developed a bond due to the numerous hours they spent on the courtroom collectively.
“I spent lots of time with him, and I don’t mean like once a week,” Mcnamee mentioned. “He was there with me seven days a week, 6 o’clock in the afternoon to 9:30 at night. We’d have talks about everything.”
Family good friend Deirdre Shaughnessy recalled Goodridge as each a baller and a faithful son, a “nice respectful kid” who all the time greeted her with a giant hug and a kiss. She remembered driving him house after video games the place the opponents have been shocked by each his measurement and his abilities.
“Oh, he was fantastic,” she mentioned. “It was an amazement. People didn’t expect it because he was so short. He was very kind, a nice respectful kid. His mother raised a good person … He was very well loved, let’s put it that way.”
The second sufferer, additionally 21, survived after a bullet grazed his decrease lip and he refused medical consideration on the scene, in accordance with cops. Goodridge, who lived together with his household within the Wakefield part of the Bronx, died Monday at Lincoln Hospital.
“All he really wanted to do was play basketball and stay out the way,” mentioned Keyanna Drew, a highschool good friend of the sufferer. “Jayden was a great soul . . . If I ever needed advice or someone to talk to about basketball or just life, Jayden was the guy.”
The Riverside basketball program was house to future native hoopsters turned NBA stars like Kenny Anderson and Chris Mullin — and Goodridge was intent on following of their footsteps, taking part in there from 2016-19.
“Now I’m just focused on being a great basketball player and making my mom proud,” Goodridge tweeted in 2017. The undersized guard briefly wound up on the observe squad on the College of Mount St. Vincent within the Bronx, mentioned Thomas, who was nonetheless reeling from information of his slaying.
“My first reaction was I just looked at the phone when I got the message,” he mentioned. “Then I ran to my wife, I just fell out and yelled, ‘Jayden is gone!’ I didn’t want to believe it.”
Police on Tuesday evening launched surveillance footage of the particular person believed to be the gunman driving off after the capturing.
The graduate of Archbishop Stepinac High School was additionally recalled fondly by his alma mater in a Facebook submit, whereas his good friend Jose Garcia remembered Goodridge for his relentlessly upbeat persona.
“He knew how to put a smile on your face without even trying,” mentioned Garcia, 21. “If you loved Jiggy, Jiggy loved you. He showed love to any and everybody … He was that friend that you wanted to have in your life.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com