By Becky Bratu
Shaneen Anthony sits on the steps of 1190 St. Marks Ave. in Crown Heights and says “hello” to the occasional acquaintance passing by. A piece of cardboard taped to the wrought iron fence before him bears such messages as “We’ll miss you” or “Love you so much, Shandev.” Five days ago Anthony’s 19-year-old son, Shandev Anthony, was shot multiple times in the torso outside of a house in East New York, police said. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Brookdale Hospital.
“He was well loved,” his father said. “He was not a bad kid at all.”
On Saturday Oct. 2 Shandev Anthony was attending a house party with several friends at 499 Milford St. in East New York. Police said about 60 other people were in attendance. At around 4 a.m. an argument broke out inside the house concerning a lost phone. The dispute continued outside of the house, and two unidentified people started firing shots. Anthony was hit several times in the upper body. A second unidentified 21-year-old man was also shot multiple times. He was taken to Interfaith Hospital and is in stable condition.
Down the road from the house that hosted the party, a neighbor heard the shots. The neighbors call him Mr. P, and he has been living a few houses down from 499 Milford St. for about 10 years. On the night Shandev Anthony died, he said he heard the first shot being fired, a loud popping noise. He heard people screaming, and then more shots were fired. But Mr. P, a father of three, stayed in his house and only glanced out the window when Anthony’s body was being carried away.
“He wasn’t covered,” he said. “They don’t cover the bodies in this area anymore.”
Now, sitting on his small porch behind a tall iron fence, Mr. P smokes a cigar in the company of his pit bull Prince. The dog is anxious and barks menacingly at passers-by, thick chain-link collar around his neck. Mr. P got Prince for protection a few years ago. He says he could remember at least three other times people got shot on Milford Street. The street is dark at night, he says, and the only lamppost casts a dim light. Mr. P wishes the street were better lit because nothing bad happens during the day.
A couple rushes out of 499 Milford St. but they don’t want to talk about the shooting and they say they don’t know anything about the party either. Mr. P says three separate families share that house, and he believes everyone was home on the night of the party, but he thinks it’s the police’s job to find the shooters.
“I can’t see anything,” he said. “And I don’t want to see anything.”
Shandev Anthony’s father says he hadn’t seen his son in more than a year. Shaneen Anthony has been living in Oklahoma City and working in telecommunications. He found out about his son’s death over the phone, which is also how they always kept in touch. Shaneen remembers a recent conversation with his son, in which Shandev told him he was considering getting a job at Victoria’s Secret.
“He was funny,” Shaneen said. “He said ‘I just want to meet all the ladies.’”
Shandev had dreams of becoming a rapper and walking in the footsteps of famous New York artists such as Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. His father said Shandev had already recorded a few songs and videos under the moniker Skrap Tha GodKhild. He says it’s sad the police don’t have a suspect yet, but he hopes someone comes out with more information.
“Some things you have to leave to God,” he said. “The truth will come to light.”
Leave a Reply