LBHS teen dies during basketball game

A Long Beach High School student died suddenly on Thursday night while he was playing a game of basketball at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, a death that devastated the Long Beach community and has students and teachers reeling from a tragic loss.

Shakur Moore, 16, was pronounced dead at Long Beach Medical Center after he was taken from the MLK center on Riverside Boulevard. Emergency personnel received the 911 call at 8:37 p.m., Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins said, and EMT workers arrived on the scene at 8:40 p.m. Although CPR was administered, City Manager Charles Theofan said that Moore showed no vital signs when firefighters and EMTs arrived.

“They could not get a pulse and there was no heart beat,” Theofan said.

Moore was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:22 p.m., Theofan said.

“Here you have a good kid, who is participating in sports at the Rec Center, and it’s a tragedy for the whole community,” Theofan said, adding that a memorial is being planned at the school on Monday. “This is something where the whole city will come together to mourn his loss.”

The cause of death has yet to be determined, and the Nassau County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy. Moore, who had an asthma condition, was at the MLK Center playing basketball on Thursday and, as he dribbled the ball, collapsed on the court.

Theofan said he reviewed a security video with police and MLK administrators, and said that Moore seemed fine as he took to the court, but then simply dropped to the floor.

“It’s really eerie ... he’s running down the court, not at a furious pace or anything like that, but the way he collapsed on the ground, it looked as if you deflated a balloon," Theofan said. "He just went straight down."

Moore, a junior at Long Beach High, was a regular at the center and known as a friendly, respectful teenager, said James Hodge, the center’s acting chair.

It was one of several games held throughout the week at the center, Hodge said. Hodge and others said that Moore’s death came as a shock to his friends and family.

“He was a great kid, a great young man,” Hodge said. “He was very respectful.”

Many others echoed those sentiments, and described Moore as a precocious teenager who was outgoing and made friends easily.

"I could not have met a nicer young man in all of my life," said resident James Hutchinson, a family friend. "He was just so mature for his age. He would light the building up when he walked in and he was just so outgoing. Kids his age and even those younger than him, really honored him and looked up to him."

Moore was described as a talented and well-respected player on the JV basketball team, who worked hard on and off the court.

“Shakur will definitely be missed by our students and faculty. He was very hardworking, humble, and kindhearted, and was well-respected among his peers and teammates," said Eric Krywe, head Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. "He loved basketball."

At the hospital, Hutchinson said that a large group of students and faculty members rushed to LBMC when they learned about the incident, shedding tears and showing their support for Moore's family.