Father says teen son was set up before deadly Coney Island shooting

The father of a teenager whom police said was shot and killed on a Coney Island street corner Sunday afternoon said he believed his son was set up by someone who had called him on the phone and told him to come outside.

“The person called him to come downstairs and meet him, and as soon as he walked out the building, the person shot him in the chest,” Ernest Johnnie said Monday about his 18-year-old son, Javon Johnnie. “I just need justice for my son.”

NYPD officials said Javon was shot shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of West 36th Street and Surf Avenue, a block from the boardwalk and a short walk from his family's home at NYCHA’s O’Dwyer Gardens development.

Ernest Johnnie said he and his son left their apartment Sunday at the same time and split up on their way out. He said he heard sirens soon thereafter and reached the shooting scene as police were taping it off. He said he saw emergency responders taking someone into an ambulance, but didn’t know it was his son until police knocked on his door around 11 p.m. that night.

Police have not announced any arrests.

Javon Johnnie was working to get a certification from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and enjoyed playing basketball in his free time, his father said. Ernest Johnnie said his son’s death was especially painful because he had been petitioning NYCHA for a few years to move his family, citing his concerns about safety in the neighborhood.

NYCHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Police data through Sunday shows there were three killings in the NYPD’s 60th Precinct, which includes Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Sea Gate, compared to one over the same period last year. There were also four shootings, compared to one in the same timeframe in 2024.

Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday said shootings in New York City have dropped to their lowest level “in recorded history” so far this year, after five consecutive quarters where they declined. But many residents remain concerned about violence in their communities despite a decrease in major crimes, Gothamist previously reported.

This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.