Seven more teenagers have been arrested in connection with an attack on a Long Island high school student that led to his death from a stab wound.
Prosecutors said the teens were involved in the Sept. 16 brawl in which 16-year-old Oceanside High School student Khaseen Morris was knifed to death.
Police said Morris was not armed.
The teenager was rushed to the hospital following the attack and later died of his injuries.
Multiple Arrests
Those arrested on Friday, Sept. 27, include 19-year-old Haakim Mechan, 18-year-old Marquis Stephens, 18-year-old Javonte Neals, 17-year-old Taj Woodruff and 17-year-old Sean Merritt, all of Long Beach. All the suspects pleaded not guilty to second-degree gang assault.Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said at a news conference Saturday the fight at a strip mall near Oceanside High School started because Morris was with the ex-girlfriend of one of the suspects.
Hundreds Attend Funeral
The funeral for Morris was held Saturday in Oceanside and was attended by hundreds, Newsday reported.“I’m angry, I’m mad…and I’m trying to control it,” the victim’s aunt, Cherril Minott, said before the memorial, according to the report.
“They took him from us. They have bore a hole, dug a hole, so deep in our hearts that it will never be filled.”
Friends remembered Morris as a spirited teen who could make anyone smile.
“He had such a great heart,” said former classmate Gigi Greenwood, according to Newsday. “He’d help you with anything you needed—your homework, anything. Everyone loved him.”
“Khaseen was the youngest of four children and loved to love,” Kassidy Kane said. “His smile could light up a room while his personality would light up everyone’s hearts.”