Investigators say they have apprehended one of the two men responsible for gunning down 17-year-old Canarsie hoops player Shaquille Jones — a murder that cops say may be gang related.
Prosecutors believe Flatbush resident Barry Evelyn was indicted on murder charges earlier this week for his role in the brutal Nov. 18 slaying in which Jones was chased, executed and left for dead behind a Rite Aid a short distance from his school, the Brooklyn Theater Arts High School on Flatlands and Ralph avenues.
Police say witnesses told them that Evelyn and another male confronted Jones and two others on Flatlands Avenue near E. 76th Street at 3:05 pm, just after they left Brooklyn Theater Arts, which is housed inside South Shore High School.
During the heated conversation that followed, Evelyn allegedly punched Jones, then pulled a gun and handed it to his accomplice — sending everyone scattering.
Evelyn’s accomplice began blasting away at the trio during a block-long chase — killing Jones and wounding his two friends, police said.
When the smoke cleared, Jones was found lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. His backpack was still slung over his shoulders.
Police sources say detectives from the 69th Precinct caught a break when witnesses recognized Evelyn, who attends another school located within South Shore’s building.
Evelyn is no stranger to the criminal justice system: in March, he was arrested for flashing a knife outside of South Shore, but plead to a reduced charge. He also pleaded guilty to an August robbery that took place in Flatbush, but he hadn’t been sentenced when he was arrested for Jones’s murder.
Attempts to reach Sammy Sanchez, Evelyn’s attorney, were unsuccessful.
Police sources say that Evelyn was not in a gang, but Jones was: he was a member of the Fam, an offshoot of the Crips street gang. Sources also said Jones didn’t play for his high school basketball team, as previously reported.
Anyone with information regarding this slaying is urged to come forward. Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-8477. All calls will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Thomas Tracy at ttracy@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2525.
