Family photograph of Zurana Horton, 33, who was shot and killed Friday while walking several children near a school.
Related News
Gang member Andrew Lopez, 18, confessed to the killing after his arrest, admitting he pulled the trigger last Friday afternoon on a Brooklyn street packed with children, sources told the Daily News.
The slender shooter confessed the gunfire was sparked by a turf war between two Brooklyn gangs, sources told the News. An 11-year-old girl and another school mom were wounded by the wild-shooting sniper.
In his confession, Lopez told cops that "he did not mean to shoot the ladies," a source said.
He was charged with murder, two counts of assault, reckless endangerment and weapons possession.
"We're certainly pleased with the fact that the investigation has identified Mr. Lopez and he's made statements and apparently made a full confession," said NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Heroic Zurana Horton, 34, was shot in the chest after springing forward to protect the nearby kids when the gunshots started Friday afternoon near Public School 298 in Brownsville.
Witnesses said the mother of 13 was seen using her body as a shield for several children before she was hit with the fatal bullet.
Detectives on scene of Friday's shooting on Pitkin Ave. in Brooklyn (John Taggart for News)
The accused shooter is affiliated with a local street gang known as "8 Block," according to police. The group is embroiled in a turf battle with the Young Goons gang from the nearby Howard Houses.
Lopez told cops he was targeting rival gang members when a wayward bullet slammed into Horton, who was picking up her children after school.
Arrested along with Andrew Lopez were his half-brother, 17-year-old Kristian, and 22-year-old Jonathan Carrasquillo.
The trio lived in a fifth-floor apartment inside the building at 1800 Pitkin Ave., where the gunman opened fire from the roof, police said.
Carrasquillo was charged with murder, while Kristian Lopez was arrested for possession of a baseball bat, police said.
Andrew Lopez had a previous arrest for walking down Pitkin Ave. while toting a loaded rifle three years ago, police sources said.
The slaying left parents and children running for their lives just one block from the school on Friday.
Cheanne McKnight, 11, suffered a graze wound to her cheek, while a 31-year-old Brooklyn mom was shot in the arm as the shooter squeezed off at least 12 shots. The shooting began just 13 minutes after the final school bell rang.
Police recovered a dozen 9-mm shell casings on the building's roof and the sidewalk below. The slain woman was planning to marry her jailed boyfriend on Valentine's Day next year.
A $15,000 reward was offered for the shooter's arrest.
