(10/23/06) HEMPSTEAD - Several Hempstead youths mourned the loss of an anti-gang activist Monday.

Hykiem Coney was shot near Image Bar and Lounge in Hempstead Sunday. The 24-year-old is brain dead, but remains on life support. According to police, Coney may have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. They also say his former gang affiliation, or his current anti-gang stance, may have also played roles in the shooting.

Sergia Argueta, an anti-gang activist and head of STRONG Youth, says Coney had the gift of connecting with troubled young people. Coney was scheduled to speak at a STRONG Youth peace rally on Sunday, October 29. Argueta says the rally, which will be held at Kennedy Park Gymnasium at 2 p.m., will now focus on Coney and his work.

Related Information: Anti-gang activist shot after argument at Uniondale bar