The Harlem basketball tournament has, sadly, turned into a tragic scene. A former standout at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey has died due to g-n violence. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had criticized violence during the Knicks’ championship run, once again condemned it.

“I am heartbroken for the family of the man who was killed last night at a basketball tournament in Harlem,” Mamdani said in a statement on X. “This senseless violence must stop. New Yorkers deserve to spend the summer watching and playing sports, attending community events, and enjoying our public spaces — places where families, friends and neighbors joyfully gather, not where people are at risk of becoming victims to g-n violence.

We are working closely with our community partners to provide services to those affected and the entire community. Our administration is using every lever across agencies to prevent further violence and ensure all New Yorkers can safely enjoy the city this summer.”

The deceased was 35-year-old Kinu Rochford, who was participating in the tournament. He was attacked while watching another game. According to The New York Post, police reported that the sho-ting resulted from a dispute between Rochford and another man.

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Rochford’s last professional stint was with Golden Eagle Ylli in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2021. But he would always turn up for the Harlem basketball tournament. His team, ‘The Young Onez,’ participated every year, and they even won it last year.

From starting out at James Madison in Brooklyn to winning the Lithuanian National Basketball League championship in 2017 with Garonne Sūduva-Mantinga, Rochford didn’t make the NBA but pursued a different professional path overseas. He also had stints in France, Israel, the Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland.

Here’s what the police had to say about the tragic incident.

“A former European professional basketball player was fatally shot in a targeted murder Friday night,” as per The Post. “Kinu Rochford, a standout at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, was shot in the head at around 10:30 p.m. at the Kingdome Basketball Tournament in the Martin Luther King Jr. Towers on Lenox Avenue.”

Emergency responders performed CPR on Rochford. He was later taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, but the 35-year-old unfortunately died from his injuries.

The FDU Knights posted condolences for Rochford, who played there from 2011 to 2013 and averaged 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, totaling 96 blocks and securing 10 double-doubles in his senior year. His contributions were recognized in 2013 with the FDU George Braun Leadership Award.

“FDU is devastated to hear of the tragic passing of former men’s basketball player Kinu Rochford (‘13),” the post reads. “A standout Knight and leader, Rochford built a legacy in Hackensack.”

According to the police, two other people were also wounded as the gunfire erupted. One was a 28-year-old man who was sh-t in the shin, and a 22-year-old woman was sh-t in the right forearm. They were also immediately rushed to Harlem Hospital and remain in stable condition.

The attacker fled the scene, and the case is currently under investigation. No arrests have been made yet.

Joann Fitzgerald described what her close friend, who witnessed the carnage, said about the incident.

“He just walked up on the court and shot him,” she said. “(Kinu) didn’t deserve it. He’s such a good player.”

Eden Rochford, mother of Kinu, spoke to CBS News New York:

“He was a joy, and he’ll always be a joy,” she said. “I keep saying, like, maybe he’s going to walk through the door, but I know he’s not going to walk through the door. All I can do is leave it in God’s hands.”

Harlem Assemblyman Jordan Wright (D-Manhattan) called the shooting “another act of senseless violence in my community.”

“I feel like it’s disgusting that something as celebratory as a basketball tournament has to devolve into something as upsetting as a loss of life,” Wright said.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the police are exploring a possible link to the gang-related shooting of a drill rapper in the neighborhood a few days ago.

This wasn’t the first time Mamdani addressed the topic of violence with his New Yorkers. Over a month ago, the mayor issued strong words after a police officer was brutally assaulted outside Madison Square Garden.

“New Yorkers are rightfully excited about the Knicks’ historic Finals run, and we want fans to celebrate this moment together,” Mamdani wrote. “There is, however, no place for violence, and no tolerance for attacks on police officers.”