Susp nabbed in shoot of Bronx hoops star

The grieving family of a Bronx basketball star senselessly shot to death eight days ago is finding some peace now that the alleged killer has been arrested and is off the street.

Najhim Luke, 22, has been charged with the June 29 slaying of 17-year-old Brandon Hendricks, a star point guard for James Monroe High School who had just graduated a few days earlier.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to hate him to death, pray for him or forgive him,” said Hendricks’ father, Noel Ellison. “Whether it was a gunshot or a trip and fall, the fact of the matter is, right now, I’m in pain. I’ve lost someone extremely dear to me.”

Hendricks was standing outside an apartment building on Davidson Ave. near 176th St. in Morris Heights just before midnight when the bullets started flying.

Ellison said detectives called to tell him there had been an arrest. He thanked the NYPD for their work.

“Anything short of turning back the hands of time is the ultimate glory, but that’s impossible,” he said of the arrest. “I’m just sort of relieved this person is not out in the street anymore.”

On Friday, cops released the suspect’s name and photo and asked the public’s help tracking him down.

Ellison said the community responded and provided a tip that led to the arrest.

“We [family] are grieving for the loss [of Brandon] and wondering what’s going to happen to the perp,” he said. “It ends one phase of the grief. His mother is going to cry. We’re all going to feel bad.”

Luke was charged with murder, and assaulting his 45-yearold uncle twice. He allegedly punched and choked the uncle on June 22, and on June 10, he allegedly hit the uncle in the face with an object.

In November 2014, Luke was arrested for jumping a man and snatching his Gucci belt with two accomplices.

Investigators believe Luke was affiliated with a gang called “Dub City,” Assistant District Attorney Christine Scaccia said at his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court Monday night. He and a buddy had been to the crime scene earlier in the night, Scaccia said.

Video shows him walking down the street to the scene minutes before the shooting and approaching a group of people who had their backs turned, apparently playing dice, Scaccia said.

“At this point, Mr. Luke raises his weapon and fires into the crowd and they began to scatter,” she said. Hendricks was hit in the back.

Luke then returned to his home, hopping a fence and climbing a fire escape to get into his apartment building; police recovered the clothes he wore during the shooting from his apartment, she said.

Luke’s lawyer, Liam Malanaphy, suggested the video wasn’t conclusive and said cops hadn’t recovered the murder weapon.

“There’s video evidence that someone who looks like my client committed a crime,” he said, calling the allegations a “very complex case that my client is anxious to challenge.”

Judge Jeanine Johnson ordered Luke held without bail.

Hendricks was the starting point guard at Monroe, and was in the running for a college basketball scholarship.

“The state’s job is now to prosecute and punish him. He has to take responsibility for his actions in a court of law,” Ellison said.

“We did not expect to lose our son, if you will,” he said. “Brandon was a good kid … it forces me to pay attention to what our young people are doing to benefit their future and growth. It’s our responsibility to keep them safe. We all have the responsibility to foster good in the world.”