Teen basketball star shot and killed in New Jersey

Gun violence claimed the life of a 16-year-old high school basketball player in East Orange, New Jersey on Monday.

Family and friends are remembering Letrell Duncan, after the highly-touted player for Garden State Bounce, an AAU team, was gunned down just blocks from his high school. 

"He was one of the ones who was really going to make it," said Joshua Richards, Duncan's former teammate. "There was a few people who you can say got it, he was one of those."

Police say Duncan was shot and killed shortly after school on Monday at the corner of Lincoln Street and Park Avenue. 

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Surveillance video shows a group of teens up the block scrambling after the shots were fired.

Duncan was rushed to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead.

Friends said Duncan was a bright, good young man who was determined to play in the NBA.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Duncan's friends to help his family pay for the teenager's funeral and memorial. So far, more than $7,500 has been raised.

The East Orange School District has said it will be "providing grief counseling to those students in need of support."

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says it is still investigating the case and has not said yet if they have any leads. 

Meanwhile, Duncan's teammates say they’re planning a vigil for their friend later this week to remember a life taken far too soon.

New Jersey