Riley Billingslea’s grandmother urged those who know what happened inside the Kingsbridge Heights apartment to speak with investigators.
NEW YORK — The family of 15-year-old Riley Billingslea was seeking answers Thursday as New York City detectives investigated the teenager’s fatal shooting inside a Bronx apartment where several young people were reportedly present.
Billingslea was found fatally shot shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, inside an apartment on Claflin Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, according to police. A 13-year-old boy was also grazed by a bullet and taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition. Investigators had made no arrest by Thursday evening and had not recovered the gun.
Billingslea’s grandmother, Elaine Rogers, said two of his friends came to her home Wednesday night to tell her he had been shot. Rogers said the news was difficult to comprehend. She later questioned why help had not been summoned sooner from the apartment and urged anyone who knew what happened to explain it to investigators.
Police have not publicly established the complete sequence of events after the gunfire. Police sources said several people were inside the apartment when Billingslea was shot, leaving detectives to piece together witness accounts and determine who handled the weapon and what led to the shooting.
The wounded 13-year-old gave detectives one of the most detailed accounts reported so far. According to police sources, he said a 16-year-old shot Billingslea during an argument in the fifth-floor apartment. Investigators believe the same gunfire that killed Billingslea resulted in the younger boy’s graze wound.
The gun was not found when police searched the scene, according to law enforcement sources. Detectives were looking for a teenage person of interest, but authorities had not publicly announced the person’s identity or any charges. Police were also examining the apartment building and gathering evidence Thursday.
Rogers said she wanted her grandson remembered for being respectful. Neighbor Veronica Mejia offered a similar account, recalling that Billingslea had helped her carry bags when she returned from the supermarket. Rogers said she had repeatedly encouraged her grandson to show respect to people around him.
The family comments came as investigators continued to confront unanswered questions about the minutes surrounding the shooting, including the dispute described by the surviving boy, who possessed the gun and where the weapon went afterward. Police had not publicly announced a motive or concluded whether the shooting was intentional or accidental.
Authorities continued searching for the person of interest Thursday while detectives reviewed the evidence and witness accounts. No arrest had been announced, and police had not recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.
Author note: Last updated August 14, 2026.