Teen Used Final Moments Alive to ID Her Alleged Killer, Officer Says

Crime scene. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A 16-year-old girl used her final moments alive to identify the man who allegedly killed her.

Shemel Mercurius, 16, was allegedly shot by Taariq Stephens, 25, inside a Brooklyn apartment in May 2016, according to the New York Daily News. She was a junior at Edward R. Murrow High School and as she was babysitting her cousin, Stephens allegedly appeared at the apartment and shot her three times.

“There was a 3-year-old male child ... covered in blood crying next to the victim,” said Sgt. Ryan Habermehl. “It took about 20 minutes for EMS to arrive.”

Officer Kyle Thomas Daly arrived on the scene and found Shemel in serious condition.

“I put on gloves, took her off the car and laid her down and began rendering aid...  she regained consciousness, gave me her name and date of birth,” Daly said, according to the Daily News. “It took a very long time for the ambulance to come, about 20 minutes.”

Shemel gave a statement to a detective and revealed who shot her. She said that Stephens wanted to be in a relationship with her, but she did not, Daly said.

“She died before she got to the hospital. But before she died, she gave the cops her boyfriend’s name,” her grandmother, Joan, told the New York Post last year after her death. “She told them he shot her.”

The girl had previously told her, “I don’t want no boyfriend. I don’t have any boyfriend,” Joan said.

Her father, who emigrated with the teen from Guyana to the United States, was stunned by her death.

“My daughter came here four years ago to live a better life. For better opportunities,” said Dexter Mercurius, 38, according to the Post. “Everyone loved her. She was smart and never got into any trouble.”

“Before she passed, she called out a boy’s name,” Mercurius said. “I don’t know if it was the boyfriend or not. I just have questions right now and no answers.”

“It’s sad and disheartening that I am issuing a statement on yet another fatal shooting, and worse that another family is in unimaginable pain and distress. Much more, we lost a 16-year-old child who was at the beginning of her life,” Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) said after the girl’s passing.

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