In the afternoon of September 7, 2022, 15-year-old Unique Smith was fatally shot in McLaughlin Park in Brooklyn, New York. A student at the nearby Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School, Smith was sitting on a park bench with two female friends when he was approached by two other young men. An argument escalated into a fistfight, during which one of the individuals, wearing a mask, pulled out a gun and shot Smith once in the abdomen.
He was rushed to New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital where he later died.
The shooter and his accomplice fled the scene, prompting a police investigation and a plea from Smith's family for the perpetrators to turn themselves in. Described as a 'terrific young man' by his grandfather, Unique Smith's death was a profound loss to his family and community. His family held a vigil in his memory, spelling his name in candles in front of their Bed-Stuy home.
An investigation led to the arrest of Wesley Walker in Binghamton, New York, on February 1, 2023. Walker, who was 19 at the time of his sentencing, was identified as a member of the FNO Woo street gang. Prosecutors stated that Walker mistakenly believed Smith was a member of a rival gang. Trial testimony revealed that Walker had skipped class on the day of the shooting, returning at dismissal to recruit other students, including a lookout, before going to the park with the intention of using the gun he was carrying.
Following a jury trial, Wesley Walker was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was subsequently sentenced to 18 years to life in prison. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Unique Smith was involved in any gang activity, calling him an 'innocent boy' who was senselessly murdered.
