Dad killed in NYC shooting had ‘heart of gold,’ family says

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – A man shot to death in Brooklyn on Monday was a loving father to an 8-year-old boy and had a “heart of gold,” his family said.

Shaquille Davis, 32, of Brooklyn, was one of three men who were shot near the Lafayette Houses around 5:20 p.m., according to the NYPD.

Davis was sitting on a bench near a playground with two friends when a gunman shot from afar, police said.

Davis was shot in the head and died. The two other men were both injured, police said.

It’s unclear why the men were targeted. Detectives don’t believe the shooting was gang-related, sources told PIX11 News.

Jeffrey Montgomery, Davis' uncle, said his nephew was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back.

"Everybody loved him. He had a heart of gold," Montgomery said. "He had so many friends."

May Davis, Shaquille Davis' aunt, described her nephew as a quiet person.

“Broken and numb. My nephew didn’t deserve this," said May Davis.

May Davis lost her own son to gun violence 24 years ago.

“I know that pain, and it’s something you never get over. You never recover from it. It’s just like flashbacks,” said May Davis.

Davis was a loving father to an 8-year-old boy. His family said the two were inseparable.

“How do we tell this 8-year-old kid that his father is no longer going be there? They were like father and son and brothers," Montgomery said.

Police are looking for surveillance video in the area to help identify the gunman. No arrests have been made.

"This family is broken right now. This kid never deserved this,” Montgomery said. “You need to turn yourself in.”