'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQF/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAyZA//8QAIRAAAgECBgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMEAQYABQcRIjEhQbH/2gAIAQEAAT8Al2c2Rkr52Y1Bs1Ms46CXKYHZdlx+UxTTm5NuFwrAfQ7V8Y//xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAP/aAAgBAgEBPwBL/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQD/2gAIAQMBAT8AFv/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, police announced that 19-year-old paraprofessional Ethan Holder, shot in the head outside a Brooklyn elementary school, had passed away. He was allegedly shot around 2.50 pm outside a deli at 5022 Avenue M in the Flatlands neighborhood.
As per court filings, 19-year-old Javier Oates, Holder's assailant, was apprehended in Brooklyn and charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal use of a firearm.
Reports suggested that Ethan Holder was declared dead at a Brooklyn hospital.
Ethan Holder was shot four times outside Brooklyn Elementary School
According to authorities, the 19-year-old was on his way home along Avenue M towards Utica Avenue in Flatlands around 3 pm on Tuesday. That was when another adolescent fired four times at him from across the street. Ethan Holder was hit in the head by one of the bullets.
Before EMS arrived, Holder crept inside a nearby deli and collapsed, lying face up. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital immediately, where he passed away on Wednesday.
While the shooting's motives were not immediately apparent, the police said they believed Holder was the target. According to investigators, there were no verbal interactions before the rounds were discharged.
One of Holder's neighbors from Flatlands spoke about the teen on Wednesday and said he wasn't the kind who got into trouble. The neighbor added:
“He don’t have gang friends or anything like that. He’s usually just alone on his way to work. He just goes to college and work and you know you see him taking an Uber to go to class. I don’t understand why anyone would shoot him.”
In response to the shooting, the president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Michael Mulgrew, issued a statement Wednesday evening. Mulgrew said that this was yet another "senseless shooting." He added that their students, staff, and community "deserve to be safe" instead of being traumatized by such violence.
He noted:
"As a city, we have to do better."
Although the shooting occurred in a gang territory, the victim had no prior criminal records or affiliations with any gangs.
It was also reported that the gunman described by the NYPD resembled the individual in the security camera footage. They claimed the suspect was dressed in a red sweatshirt over a red do-rag and a black parka.
Department of Education Chancellor, David Banks, tweeted about the incident.
According to the Department of Education, Ethan Holder worked as a paraprofessional for District 75, housed in the same building as PS 203 Floyd Bennett School.
