Family of NYC 16-year-old grieves after her death

The heartbroken aunt of a 16-year-old Queens girl gunned down last week over a teenage quarrel recalled on Monday her niece’s quick wit and bright future.

Claudia Quaatey was sitting in a car in front of the Jackie Robinson School in St. Albans around 8:30 p.m. on May 10 when she was struck in the head by a bullet, according to police.

She was taken to the hospital where she clung to life until she died on Monday, her family said.

“Everything made her special,” said her aunt, Benita Bortey. “She was just a beautiful person, she was very giving. Smart as a whip.”

A group of about 40 kids had gathered in the Locust Manor Playground the night of Claudia’s slaying when a fight broke out.

She was not the fighting type, her father said last week after the shooting.

“My daughter, she doesn’t fight like that, so I guess it happened to be a one-time thing,” said the dad, Albert Quaatey, 65.

Claudia wanted to become a nurse, according to her aunt.

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“She wanted to help people, she wanted to heal people,” Bortley said. “She was a giving soul, she was very matter-of-fact. She was raised well, she comes from a very cultured background.”

The teen’s devastated family has been left to grapple with the meaning behind her death.

“Her not being here leaves a very big void that no one can fill,” Bortley said. “Our family has taken a big blow and nothing anyone can do or say short of returning her is going to make a difference.”

The aunt said that she hoped to live a better life in memory of her niece.

“We can only hope to live in such a way that would make her proud,” she remarked.

Claudia’s death comes as another teen, a 13-year-old boy, died after being shot in the head at a playground in Staten Island.

“This violence is unfortunate,” she said. “It seeps into every area of life.”