Vigil remembers 28-year-old victim of Brownsville shooting

Family and friends of Robert Block, who was fatally shot at a Brownsville building on Saturday, remembered him with a vigil Monday night.

News 12 Staff

Jan 28, 2020, 2:01 AM

Updated 1,543 days ago

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Family and friends of Robert Black, who was fatally shot at a Brownsville building on Saturday, remembered him with a vigil Monday night.
Dozens came to remember the 28-year-old, who had recently become a father to his second child last week. His mother, Ella Jordan, said he was planning to sign up for college classes, but instead she is now buying a casket for him as the family plans his funeral.
Black had been heading home from a party when he decided to stop and hang out at the building on Rockaway Avenue where the fatal shots were fired. Police say he was shot in his hand and torso.
Police found Black with gunshot wounds around 5 a.m. Saturday. Jordan received a call from her daughter telling her what happened and when she rushed to the third floor of the Brownsville building, she saw paramedics trying to revive him.
“They let me in the building and when I went upstairs he was laid out on the third floor, not moving,” said Jordan. “They were still working on him. You know, that’s the worst feeling ever.”
At the vigil, friends and family lit candles and prayed before releasing balloons in his memory.
His family said he did have his struggles in life but that he was working toward a better future. Living in this community, they say, violence is not uncommon, but they did not expect it to hit so close to home.
“It’s different when it’s at your doorstep and you’re the victim,” Jordan said.
Relatives told News 12 that a person was arrested in connection to the shooting, however police could not confirm that.


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