Shot dead on his girl’s 1st birthday

A father of two was shot to death in front of a Queens housing project on his daughter’s 1st birthday Sunday — and cops took a 17-year-old boy into custody for the killing.

Jelan Moreira, 29, was blasted multiple times in the chest in front of the Ravenswood Houses on 21st St. near 35th Ave. in Astoria about 5:20 a.m., cops said.

Medics rushed Moreira to Elmhurst Hospital Center, but he couldn’t be saved.

“Why did they do this to him? Oh my god,” the victim’s sister sobbed as family members laid flowers at the scene hours after the slaying.

Neighbors and relatives said Moreira (inset) was a construction worker who yearned for a better life for his daughter and 3-yearold son.

“People are going to say, ‘He was a great guy.’ But he really was a great guy,” one neighbor said. “He didn’t have a problem with anybody. He always had a smile on his face.”

“He just told me two weeks ago that he wanted a better life for his kids,” the neighbor added. “He wanted to get out.”

Police took the 17-year-old boy into custody at the scene. Charges against him were pending. Investigators were also questioning a second man believed to be involved in the shooting.

Friends mourned Moreira on social media.

“Really didn’t expect to wake up hearing you no longer with us,” wrote Robert Ellis. “You was always an humble respectable young god in my eyes, nothing but positive kool energy from you always.”

Investigators suspect the shooting is gang-related. Cops recovered a firearm at the scene and several bullets nearby.