Gang Member Gets 31 Years In Fatal Shooting Of 13-Year-Old

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A Mount Vernon man has been sentenced in the New Year's Eve 2016 murder of 13-year-old basketball star Shamoya McKenzie.

David Hardy, aka “Mooka,” was sentenced to 31 years in prison for the 2016 murder of McKenzie and his participation in a 2012 shooting, United States Attorney Audrey Strauss announced today. In July 2021, codefendant Marquis Collier was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his participation in the McKenzie murder.

"Nothing can undo the senseless killing of Shamoya McKenzie, an innocent young woman, or the trauma experienced by her mother, who witnessed it," Strauss said. "Justice requires that those responsible be held accountable, as Marquis Collier and now David Hardy have been. Rightly, both will spend decades in federal prison for their crimes."

Hardy, a member of the Mount Vernon gang called the Goonies, had intended to kill rival-gang member Prince Scott, but shot McKenzie after firing multiple times with a 9 mm firearm.

The Goonies have been engaged in a long-standing and violent feud with several rival Mount Vernon street gangs, including, among others, the "Boss Playa Family," the "Get Money Gangstas," the "Gunnas" and the "Much Better Gang," according to federal investigators. On December 31, 2016, Hardy, Collier and two other members of the Goonies attempted to murder a rival gang member in broad daylight by firing multiple shots at him in the vicinity of Tecumseh Avenue and Third Street in Mount Vernon.

Hardy fired the shots, with Collier at his side.

The rival gang member suffered gunshot wounds but survived. One of the bullets, however, missed the intended target and struck the head of 13-year-old McKenzie, who was in the front passenger seat of a passing car, which was being driven by her mother.

Shamoya McKenzie died as a result of her wound.

Jermaine Hughley and Sincere Savoy, also members of the Goonies, are still awaiting sentencing for their part in that night's violent events.

"Today’s sentencing by a federal judge of David Hardy, whose reckless disregard for human life caused the senseless death of an innocent 13-year-old girl, Shamoya McKenzie, closes a long and brutal chapter for Shamoya’s mother, family, friends and community," Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement released shortly after the sentence was handed down. "It has been my honor and privilege to get to know Shamoya’s mother and those who knew her, first as a federal prosecutor and now as District Attorney. Shamoya’s untimely death, thanks to the Shamoya McKenzie Foundation, Moms Demand Action and so many others, has been a unifying force to rid our streets of gun and gang violence. We will continue to fight for justice in her honor."

The case was prosecuted in federal court, in part because the Goonies street gang was deemed a racketeering enterprise.

SEE ALSO:

• 2 Murders: More 'Goonies' Face New Federal Charges
• Indictment in New Year's Eve Shooting of 13-Year-Old
• Mount Vernon High School to Host Benefit Game in Memory of McKenzie
• Gang-related Shooting Led to Death of 13-Year-Old
• UConn Women Honor NY Teen Hoop Standout Killed in Mount Vernon
• Accused Shooter a Former City Employee