'This is not normal.' Heartbroken community rallies to help family of 11-year-old killed in Newburgh
A growing memorial now lines the sidewalk where SNUG took turns on a loudspeaker, sharing messages like, “He was a kid and he died! This is not normal!"
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Heartbreak and disbelief continue to ripple through Newburgh after police say an 11-year-old boy, now identified as Matthew, was shot and killed by another child inside his home on North Miller Street Thursday.
The tragedy has shaken the community, leaving friends, neighbors and local leaders searching for answers and demanding change.
Over the weekend, the nonprofit RECAP (Regional Economic Community Action Program) and its anti-gun violence initiative, SNUG, organized a gathering on North Miller Street outside the boy’s home, where activists and residents came together to grieve and speak out against youth violence.
A growing memorial now lines the sidewalk where the group took turns on a loudspeaker, sharing messages like, “He was a kid and he died! This is not normal!"
Michele McKeon, CEO of RECAP, said the tragedy has deeply affected the community.
“The community has been shaken by this. Rightly so,” McKeon said. “It’s incumbent on all of us to stand together and say — what can we do? How can we make it better?”
McKeon says SNUG can connect families affected by violence, like Matthew’s, with emotional and financial resources through a network of community partners and victim-assistance programs.
“We are able to provide those resources in some places where families wouldn’t be able to have those resources available to them,” she said.
According to an official source, investigators are reviewing a social-media video showing the victim being bullied and slapped in a live feed days before his death.
News 12 is told prosecutors are aware of the footage, which is part of the ongoing case. A 13-year-old male suspect was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the killing. He was arraigned as a juvenile offender in Orange County Court on Friday.
McKeon says tragedies like this emphasize the need for prevention and unity.
“There’s too much tragedy, and we really just want to celebrate the good that we are all doing in our communities,” McKeon said.
RECAP says anyone wishing to help the family can reach out by email at Mmckeon@recap.org or visit recap.org for more information about the organization and the SNUG program.
