Ear Hustle

Jericho Scott Former Little League Fastball Pitcher Banned From Pitching At Age 9 Killed In A Drive-By Shooting

A Connecticut boy who was thrust into the national spotlight before he turned ten because of the way he could throw a baseball will not see his 17th birthday thanks to a drive-by shooting.

Jericho Scott, 16, who became an internet star after being told he couldn’t pitch for his Little League team because he had a 40mph fastball at age nine, was shot dead in New Haven early on Sunday.

Scott was killed while he sat in a white Volkswagen with a 20-year-old friend, Justin Compress, who was shot in the shoulder, hand and wrist but is now in stable condition.

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Jericho Scott (seen at age nine) was killed early on Sunday while he sat in a car in New Haven, Connecticut

Scott became a star when he was told he couldn't pitch for his Little League team because of his fastball

He was banned from the Youth Baseball League of New Haven in 2009 at age nine because he threw 40mph

He was banned from the Youth Baseball League of New Haven in 2009 at age nine because he threw 40mph

Scott was the star pitcher for Will Power Fitness team in the Youth Baseball League of New Haven in 2009 when league officials informed him he could no longer pitch for his team.

The budding star had five no-hitters in the team’s first eight games of the season before he was told he had to sit or switch positions, the Hartford Courant reported.

When his manager sent him out to the mound anyway after the ban, the other team refused to play and said its players were afraid of being injured.

The story made headlines when lawyers were hired and Scott’s team eventually disbanded.

The budding star had five no-hitters in the team's first eight games of the season before being told to sit out

When Scott's manager sent him out to pitch after the ban was issued, the other team refused to play the game

His mother, Nicole Scott, said at the time: ‘I think it’s discouraging when you’re telling a nine-year-old you’re too good at something.

‘The whole objective in life is to find something you’re good at and stick with it.

‘I’d rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner.’

During a 2011 follow-up piece about Scott in the New Journal, his father Leroy also referenced the streets of New Haven and how some of them have ‘fourteen-year-olds holding pistols’.

That was four years ago, but his sentiment still rings true

A shrine  at the scene. The murder was the city's fourth homicide of 2015 and its first youth killing of the year

Scott's parents wrote: 'Jericho, at only 16, has given so much to his family, friends and the community'

Sunday’s murder was the city’s fourth homicide of 2015 and its first youth killing of the year, the Yale News reported.

The Scotts have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for their son’s memorial service and tribute.

They wrote: ‘Jericho, at only 16, has given so much to his family, friends and the community.

‘Jericho was a highly accomplished athlete, scholar and artist.

‘Although a short life, it was well lived through love, laughter and positive contributions to his family, friends, teammates and many others in the community.

‘And when he played baseball and basketball he touched the lives of people in a profound way.’

Scott’s friend Justin Compress, 20, who was shot in the shoulder, hand and wrist but is in stable condition

A third man, 19-year-old Tyreese Little, may also have been involved, according to WFSB.

Little was reportedly shot several times while at Compress’s home and has been ‘less than cooperative’ with police.

The Scotts say their son was not the intended target.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact them at 203-946-6304.

WFSB 3 Connecticut

Source: Daily Mail

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