A 16 year old from Staten Island named Dayshen died after an asthma attack while running from a group of people, according to the New York Daily News.
The paper reported that Diane, a retired NYPD officer who rushed to help, said the group chasing Dayshen was predominantly white and shouted racial insults. She told the Daily News she believes it was a crime and that she heard someone in the group say they had a gun. She also said the cars involved had Pennsylvania plates.
A source close to the NYPD said the boys did not indicate any racial bias during the initial probe. Diane told the Daily News she raised the issue with investigators anyway and described it as racially motivated. Investigators have not described the case that way in their official account. After the Daily News asked about the case, bias investigators were reportedly set to speak with the witnesses again.
The paper reported that Dayshen and six friends were chased through backyards and homes before he collapsed. No arrests had been made, and no one in the group has been publicly identified or charged.
His mother told the Daily News she wants justice. “Somebody should be held accountable,” she said. Dayshen is survived by his mother and six siblings.
