In the autumn of 2022, a senseless act of violence irrevocably shattered the lives of a Brooklyn family. On the morning of October 27, 45-year-old Damien White, a beloved father of five, arrived at Miguel's West Indian Restaurant in the Brownsville neighborhood, prepared for a day of renovation work alongside his co-worker, Eyon Johnson. Little did they know, a gunman, cloaked in black, lay in wait for them.
The assailant followed the two men into the eatery and unleashed a barrage of bullets, striking both White and Johnson multiple times in a brutal and calculated attack.
The immediate aftermath was a scene of chaos and tragedy. While Johnson was pronounced dead at Brookdale University Hospital shortly after the shooting, Damien White fought for his life. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he bravely clung to life for three days before ultimately succumbing to his devastating injuries. The motive for this brazen daylight shooting remained a mystery to investigators, as neither White nor his colleague had any prior arrest records that would suggest a reason for such a violent end. The sheer brutality of the event was underscored by the numerous shell casings found at the scene and a car parked outside that was riddled with bullet holes.
Damien White's family was left to grapple with the profound and sudden loss of a man they described as a fun-loving and generous pillar of their family. His sister, Cathy White, remembered him as someone who was always willing to extend a helping hand to others. Having moved to New York from Jamaica with his family in 1992, he had built a life and a family in his adopted city, only to have it violently cut short. The community was left shaken, with many calling for more to be done to curb the gun violence that had claimed yet another life.
A break in the case came in February 2023, when the New York Police Department arrested 46-year-old Sawandi Galara of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to police, Galara was the man who had been lying in wait for White and Johnson on that fateful morning. He was subsequently charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Galara was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court and held without bail, bringing a measure of relief to the grieving families, though the profound sorrow of their loss remains.
