‘GODLY,’ GIFTED & GONE
Slain B'klyn teen volunteered at church, earned Columbia honor, says his grieving dad
Devastated Brooklyn dad David Oyebola saw greatness in his son: Scholar, jump shooter, role model.
Now the 16-year-old boy with the brilliant future is gone, killed by a random bullet on a local basketball court.
The heartbroken dad, flanked Saturday by family and friends, said he’s looking for an arrest, not just solace, in the death of Oluwadurotimi Oyebola — known to friends as Timi.
“I want to know who did this and I want justice to be done, because I don’t want it to happen again,” the father said as he wept openly for slain son. “I can’t get my son back, but we can prevent this from happening.”
Oyebola, sitting at his Queens home one day after the shooting, was still reeling from the slaying of his beloved son. Police do not believe the hoops-loving teen — described by his father as “Godfearing and intelligent” — was the shooter’s intended target.
“That man took him in the midst of his days,” said the senior Oyebola. “I want the community to know that it is dangerous out there and we cannot depend on the police. They are doing there best, but they are not God.”
Cops believe the gunman was roughly 150 feet away when the bullet slammed into young Timi’s head.
Detectives continued their search Saturday for the shooter who opened fire as young Oyebola played on the Chester Playground in Brownsville. Three friends sharing the court with the teen heard several shots ring out, then saw their pal lying mortally wounded on the court. He later died at Brooklyn University Hospital Medical Center.
“Is there anything wrong with playing basketball in the park?” David Oyebola asked rhetorically in the family home. His wife and daughter were too grief-stricken to speak about their lost son and brother.
“He was above his age,” Oyebola continued in describing his doomed son. “He volunteered every year at the church day care to teach the youth.”
On a typical Friday, Timi would have spent his evening at the the Abundant Life Christian Center on E. 98th St. in Brownsville for afterschool activities. Since the church didn’t open until 7 p.m., he would often play basketball with his friends at the nearby playground before heading to the center.
“The boy was raised in a godly way,” family friend Emmanuel Fatakasi told the News. “If other kids were raised that way, we wouldn’t be having these problems.”
Anyone with information regarding this killing is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, with all calls kept confidential.
Brownsville community activist Michael Thompson called on the neighborhood residents to speak up about the slaying.
Oyebola said his son was expected to receive an academic award from Columbia University in November.
“I will be there by myself now,” he said, his voice trailing off as he stared into space.