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Read the press release here.

14-Y-O Shooting Victim in 'Grave Condition,' Possible Street 'Crew' Member

Lupe Estrella helped 14-year-old Akeal Christopher after he was shot in the head.
Lupe Estrella helped 14-year-old Akeal Christopher after he was shot in the head.
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DNAinfo/Fred Dreier

BROOKLYN — The 14-year-old boy who was shot in the face while walking from a friend's graduation party in Bushwick Wednesday night remained in "grave condition" Friday afternoon and may have been part of a local street "crew," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Akeal Christopher, a Crown Heights resident and student at Transit Tech High School, was walking with friends near Cornelia Street and Evergreen Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. when two boys approached the group and asked, "Are you part of the 'Loot Crew?" Kelly and news sources said.

It remains unclear how or whether Christopher and his friends said anything in response, Kelly stated, but they did turn and try to run. That's when Christopher was hit by a bullet.

"Akeal is struck in the face," Kelly said in a press conference at 1 Police Plaza. "He's in very, very critical condition now at Brookdale Hospital."
 
The commissioner went on to add that Christopher "may have been a member of something called 'RG,' Rich Guys," which he described as a "crew."

Bushwick residents said that fights between small street crews, often affiliated by block, are common.

Neighbors rushed to Christopher's aid after the shooting. Lupe Estrada, 48, who said she's had emergency medical training, administered CPR and cared for the boy until paramedics arrived.