A former college basketball standout who went on to play professionally across Europe has been identified as the victim in a fatal shooting at an outdoor tournament near New York’s Central Park on Friday night.
Former Farleigh Dickinson forward Kinu Rochford, 35, was shot in the head in a targeted murder during the Kingdome Basketball Tournament in Harlem, according to the New York Police Department. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
Rochford was watching the action in between his team’s games when he was fatally wounded around 10:20pm, according to the NYPD. The department said the shooting stemmed from an argument Rochford had with another man at the event.
‘He just walked up on the court and shot him,’ Joann Fitzgerald, 67, told the New York Daily News after learning of the shooting from a friend and eyewitness. ‘[Kinu] didn’t deserve it. He’s such a good player.’
‘It sounded like a firework,’ local resident Jessica Montgommery, 45, told the New York Post. ‘And then I heard it again and people started running.’
Two bystanders were also wounded among the 500-or-so attendees: A 28-year-old man was shot in the shin and a 22-year-old woman was hit in the forearm. Both were taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to police.
Footage shared on X doesn’t capture the shooting but does show the frightening aftermath as emergency responders tended to one victim while grieving onlookers consoled each other.
Rochford was a Brooklyn native who went on to play college ball in New Jersey
Rochford is seen with a young fan during his days playing professionally in England
Footage shared on X by the Sensa Media Network doesn’t capture the shooting but does show the frightening aftermath as emergency responders tended to one victim while grieving onlookers consoled each other.
Rochford’s alma mater, New Jersey’s Fairleigh Dickinson University, confirmed Rochford’s death in a solemn post on social media.
‘FDU is devastated to hear of the tragic passing of former men’s basketball player Kinu Rochford (’13),’ read Saturday’s post. ‘A standout Knight and leader, Rochford built a legacy in Hackensack.’
Hundreds of mourners have since reacted to the news.
‘One of the kindest, funniest and most genuine people I’ve ever met,’ one wrote on Instagram. ‘You couldn’t help but smile when he was around.’
‘Kinu was a special light that this world needed,’ another added. ‘Very sorry to hear of his passing. Praying for his family and friends as well as everyone he touched within the FDU community.’
A graduate of Brooklyn’s James Madison High School, the 6ft 6in Rochford played collegiately at FDU before embarking on a seven-year pro career that took him from the Netherlands to Israel, France, England, Lithuania, Iceland, Portugal and, finally, Kosovo in 2021.
