Reward Offered in 13-Year-Old's Shooting Death [VIDEO]

MOUNT VERNON, NY — City police have called for outside help in the case of 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie, who was shot and killed by a stray bullet near near the 300 block of East Third Street, Mount Vernon, NY in broad daylight on New Year's Eve.

McKenzie was an innocent bystander, a passenger in a car. A man was also shot and wounded at the same time.

McKenzie was an eighth-grader at Graham Elementary School.

"We will remember Shamoya as a bright, friendly young lady with a budding future in girls basketball. She was indeed a model student," said Mount Vernon Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton in a Tuesday afternoon press conference (see video, below).

Mount Vernon school officials contacted staff and local clergy immediately and opened Graham over the holiday weekend to make grief counseling available to the school community Sunday, and also met with the Mount Vernon High School basketball teams. More counseling was available to students and staff as they returned from the holiday break Tuesday.

"There are no words that make this palatable or understandable or manageable," Hamilton said. "One of my biggest concerns is that we are sensitive to the fact that our youngsters have seen so much violence. We don't want them to become desensitized."

While Mount Vernon police search for the shooter, they have asked for outside help, Fios1 reported.

NY CrimeStoppers is also assisting city police by offering a reward.

Family and friends have set up a GoFundMe account to help the family cover funeral costs.

"Shamoya was a star basketball player who played on many tems including the Mount Vernon Junior Knights, the Mount Vernon Lady Elites, and the Mount Vernon High School JV Lady Knights," her mother said on the GoFundMe page. "Her ultimate goal was to attend the University of Conneticut (UCONN) and then transition into the WNBA."

Anyone with information on the shooting can contact the New York State Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-313-8477.

Crime Stoppers, serving as a resource for the Mount Vernon Police, is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the shootings, which took place Saturday at about 2:30 p.m.

School district officials called on the city to better plan and manage resources and take care of Mount Vernon residents.