A Friday night basketball tournament in Harlem turned into a crime scene after a former Fairleigh Dickinson University standout and overseas professional basketball player was fatally shot in what police believe was a targeted attack.
Police said Kinu Rochford, 35, of Brooklyn, was shot around 10:30 p.m. while attending the Kingdome Basketball Tournament at the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers on Lenox Avenue. Investigators said Rochford had been playing earlier in the tournament and was watching games when gunfire erupted.
Authorities said Rochford was struck in the head and later died at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital despite lifesaving efforts.
Two bystanders were also wounded during the shooting: a 28-year-old man who was shot in the shin and a 22-year-old woman who was struck in the forearm. Both were taken to Harlem Hospital and are expected to recover.
According to police sources, the shooting appears to have stemmed from a dispute between Rochford and another man before shots were fired. The exact motive remains under investigation, and no arrests have been announced.
Witnesses described panic as hundreds of spectators fled the court.
"It sounded like a firework. Then I heard it again and people started running," one witness told reporters.
Rochford was well known in New Jersey basketball circles after starring at Fairleigh Dickinson University from 2011 to 2013. The Knights remembered him as a leader whose impact extended beyond the court.
Following college, the 6-foot-6 forward built a professional career that took him across Europe, including stops in Lithuania, France, Kosovo, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. He helped win a Lithuanian National Basketball League championship in 2017.
Family, friends, and former teammates mourned Rochford's death Saturday as flowers were left outside his Brooklyn home.
The shooting happened on a court that had recently been painted with a mural honoring Knicks legends, adding another layer of tragedy to what was meant to be a celebration of community basketball.
Police continue to investigate and have not announced any arrests. Anyone with information is urged to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers.
