Mother mourns 13-year-old sh*t on the way to school: ‘My whole world has crumbled apart’

NEW YORK (WCBS) – A New York family is grieving a 13-year-old boy who died of his injuries two days after he was shot in the head on his way to school.

Sanjay Samuel, 13, was shot in the head Monday morning while walking to high school in the Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon.

“My heart is overwhelmed with grief for my Sanjay, and my whole world has crumbled apart,” said Vilene Griffith, the teenager’s mother. “There’s no more Sanjay in the house, no more Sanjay in the neighborhood.”

Police say the shooting happened outside a Dunkin’ in a strip mall parking lot that’s a popular hangout spot for kids in the community. It’s unclear if Sanjay was the intended target.

Vilene Griffith says she told her son she loved him right before he left for school on Monday, not knowing it was the last time she would ever speak to him.

“It’s the last thing in my mind I would have thought that could have happened to Sanjay. I mean, that’s something that’s unbelievable. I’m numb and speechless,” she said. “Sanjay will be surely missed by everyone.”

Sanjay’s family say his organs will be donated to save other lives, and they are now making funeral arrangements.

“So heartbroken,” said Theophilus Samuel, Sanjay’s father. “Because I would be at his bedside, hold his hand, talking to him: ‘Daddy loves you.’ According to the doctors’ reports, there was nothing more they could have done.”

Sanjay’s family says he liked to stay active and loved basketball and dancing. They want the person who pulled the trigger to answer for taking the 13-year-old away from them.

“We are looking forward for justice in this particular case. We are looking forward for changes in the community,” said Elvin Griffith, Sanjay’s uncle.

No arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.