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South Jamaica Teen Shot and Killed Coming Home from Sweet 16 Party

By  Janon Fisher and Amanda Mikelberg | May 19, 2013 8:54am | Updated on May 19, 2013 3:20pm

 Daja Robinson, 14, was shot in the head while waiting on the Q6 bus Saturday May 18, 2013 in South Jamaica.
Daja Robinson, 14, was shot in the head while waiting on the Q6 bus Saturday May 18, 2013 in South Jamaica.
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DNAinfo/Amanda Mikelberg

NEW YORK CITY — A 14-year-old girl coming home from a friend's Sweet Sixteen party was shot and killed while riding the bus in Queens Saturday night, police and family members said.

Daja Robinson, of South Jamaica, was shot in the head about 9 p.m. on Sutphin Boulevard near Baisley Pond Park.

A gunman fired 10 shots at the Q6 bus as it stood at the bus stop, the Daily News reported. One of the bullets pierced the window, striking Robinson in the right temple, cops told the News.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Robinson had just boarded the bus with other teens from the party when the gunman opened fire. She was not the intended target, he said.

"Terrible. This is just another senseless shooting," Kelly told reporters at a Westchester press conference.

The commissioner said he was unaware of any arguments or conflicts at the party that would account for the violence.

The gunman fired at least nine shots into the bus, but only Robinson was hit, Kelly said.

She was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The teen's mother, Sharia Sands, 31, who has a tattoo on the right side of her neck that says "D'aja," was overwrought by the death of her only child.

"She loved dancing," said her stricken mom. "It's very hard. I am not able to talk."

Her cousin, Joshlyn Danies, 16, talked about the slain girl's outgoing personality.

"She was always bubbly. She was a sweetheart, loved to party," said Joshlyn. "Always smiling. She used to dance reggae."

Her grandfather Willy Bolden, 57, said that she worked hard in school.
"She was a straight-A student. She was a wonderful girl," he said.

Police have made no arrests. Cops described the shooter as a man between the ages 18 and 25.

Anyone with information in regards to this murder is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.