Mom of teen boy fatally shot in Queens park decries killer — and youths who filmed his death

Courtesy of Shanelle Weston

Jaden Pierre, 15, was fatally shot inside the Nautilus Playground at Roy Wilkins Park near Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in South Jamaica, Queens, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Courtesy of Shanelle Weston)

The heartbroken mother of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten and fatally shot inside a Queens park as dozens of teens callously filmed the slaying on their phones condemned his killer — and those who did nothing but watch him die.

Jaden Pierre was shot in the chest inside the Nautilus Playground at Roy Wilkins Park on Thursday, cops said. In footage posted to X by Mayor Eric Adams on Friday, dozens of bystanders can be seen filming as Jaden is savagely beaten, when one of his attackers draws a firearm and shoots him at point-blank range.

“You are all pussies,” Jaden’s mom, 33-year-old Shanelle Weston, said bitterly, in an exclusive interview with the Daily News. “Pussies. You all beat on my son and that wasn’t enough.”

“My son was shot in the chest. My family, my community, everybody is devastated.”

Jaden attended ninth grade at Eagle Academy for Young Men in Queens and was looking forward to starting a new job through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, his mother said.

“It was going to be his first job,” Weston said. “He was so excited and proud.”

But on Thursday, the teen asked his father if he could go to the park to play basketball. In reality, he was going to participate in a planned water-balloon fight organized over social media, his mom said.

“If I had known about the water-balloon fight, I would have said no,” she said. “There was nothing for him there but trouble.”

Jaden Pierre, 15, was fatally shot inside the Nautilus Playground at Roy Wilkins Park near Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in South Jamaica, Queens, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Courtesy of Shanelle Weston)

It’s unclear how the dispute started, but the footage posted by Adams shows Jaden being beaten by a group of teens in the park near Baisley and Merrick Blvds. in South Jamaica around 6:16 p.m. At least three rival teens can be seen repeatedly punching and kicking Pierre as he holds his hands over his head, trying to ward off the blows, the video shows.

At one point, one of his attackers grab’s Pierre’s hoodie and throws him to the ground. Pierre quickly regains his feet but the teens continue to pummel him until gunfire rings out. The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters.

“Everyone there recording did nothing,” the victim’s older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, told The News. “They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless and they shot him.”

Jaden’s mom demanded the video uploaded by Adams be taken down.

“Nobody reached out to me,” Weston said. “I don’t know why anyone would post a video of my son.”

In addition to his older sister, Jaden has two younger brothers. His mother is three months pregnant, and her murdered boy was looking forward to welcoming the birth of his new sister.

“My son was not a bad kid. He was the sweetest kid and everybody loved him. And I mean everybody,” Weston said. “My son was amazing. He was loving. He loved his dad. He loved his family. He loved me. I just can’t believe this happened to my baby. My heart is broken forever.”

The NYPD released images Friday of the suspected shooter, including one pulled from the cell-phone footage released by the former mayor.

“A 15-year-old kid was beaten and shot to death at a Southeast Queens playground yesterday. And somehow this isn’t the top story,” Adams said in his post. “Credit to AG Letitia James & BP Richards for speaking up. Where is everyone else, including @NYCMayor Mamdani?”

The Daily News reached out to a Mamdani spokesperson for comment.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.