HARLEM — Jordan Barber, the 18-year-old aspiring chef who was shot to death after a basketball game in the Polo Grounds, was laid to rest Friday afternoon.
More than 100 mourners gathered at Saint James Presbyterian Church between 141st Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue at 3 p.m. for the services.
His burgundy casket was carried up the church steps by a group of friends, many wearing white shirts with his nickname, J.O., printed on them.
“It’s sad, there are a lot of broken teenagers in there,” said a friend of the Barber’s family who watched him grow up. “There are a lot of broken kids. Nobody sees the pain in the children who are left behind.”
The friend declined to give her name out of respect for the teen's family, she said.
Barber, who was gunned down on June 29, told his mother Lashanda Holman “I love you” in his final moments, Holman previously told DNAinfo.
The teen was laid to rest two days after Demetrius Washington of The Bronx was arrested and charged with murder for the shooting, according to the NYPD.
“It doesn’t change what happened, but it brings justice for Jordan,” said his cousin, Shinnel Johnson, 21.
Barber lay in the casket wearing a hooded sweatshirt with an “FM” logo printed on it. The logo stands for “Fast Money,” a hip-hop group he was part of, his cousin said.
Apart from rapping, Barber was a talented self-taught cook who aspired to be a chef.
“No one taught him,” Johnson said. “Out of nowhere he said, 'I’m not waiting for someone to cook for me.'”
Barber then went into the kitchen and made a delicious fried chicken with rice and beans, she said.
He always volunteered to help prepare family meals during the holidays, she added.
Barber’s death is the latest in a violent summer, according to the family friend.
“My daughter is going to three funerals this week,” she said.
