A Brooklyn teen fatally shot in the head in Queens had dreamed of joining the Air Force, her distraught family said Sunday — as they were left baffled by the strange circumstances of her death.
Deaza Barkley, 17, was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head inside a house in Jamaica, Queens, just after 5 p.m. Sunday after police were called to the scene over reports of a shooting.
She was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, but was soon pronounced dead.
Exactly what happened to the girl — and why she was at the address in Queens, which was not her home — remains unclear, but her family and friends have been left baffled by the killing.
“She was getting ready to graduate high school, and her plans were to apply for a job in the Air Force,” Deaza’s mother told The Post.
A family friend who declined not to be named described her as someone who loved her family and was always well-behaved.
“I just came up from Florida for a wedding, and her mother called me this morning crying, and told me what happened,” the friend said.
“I know she liked to dance, and she was a cheerleader at the high school.”
“She never got into any trouble. She has an older sister, and she also has a younger brother,” they added.
“I’m confused, and I’m just trying to find out what happened.”
The address where Deaza was killed is a large house on a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood street.
A person of interest in the shooting has been taken into custody and is being interviewed, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Photos from the scene showed a man being led away from the house in handcuffs.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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